Children�s everyday work in rural Muslim Yor�b� communities in North Central Nigeria

Abstract

Proponents of children�s freedom to work agree that work is socially, culturally, and relationally constructed. However, more remains to be known about these constructions, particularly in rural sub-Saharan Africa. This article explores the cultural childrearing beliefs or ethnotheories of Yor�b� parents in rural Northern Nigeria, and parents� role in organising children�s everyday intra-familial and intra-communal work. Data were generated within a broader ethnographic study which explored parents� perspectives and practices around formal schooling. Participant observation, including after school observations of children, and partly structured interviews were employed. Findings reveal children�s activities aligned with parents� ethnotheories about what and how children should learn towards becoming functional, communal adults or ?m?l��b�s. Parent�s ethnotheories also broadened to accommodate new realities, resulting in additional expectations of children. The article highlights the need to further examine the wider structures which underpin parents� ethnotheories and thereby determine children�s capabilities to realise their everyday lives.