Nigerian Culture Research Articles

Reconciling Indigenous Nigerian Values And The Dynamics Culture In A Contemporary Teaching-Learning Environment

This paper examines the changing cultural milieu in the contemporary teaching-learning environment. Nigeria is blessed with many cultural values that serve as a medium for moral humanity. It identifies and discusses some of the key tenets of Nigerian values that promote unity and love among Nigerians. The dynamics of Nigerian culture is discussed by explaining the ever-evolving modalities of culture in Nigeria. Also, the essence of contemporary teaching-learning environment as a substantial process is clearly spelt out by doing a critique of the traditional values and evaluating these on the basis of emerging cultural changes. Nigerian indigenous values have been reconciled by identifying what should go on in a contemporary teaching learning environment and what should not play in. Also, the dynamics of values in contemporary teaching learning environment have been highlighted. It has been recommended, among others that government policy should be out in place to ounish parents and school authorities who reprimand teachers for punishing erring students, teachers should be trained on how to address cultural diversity.

The Impact of Motherhood on the Career Development of Female Journalists in Nigeria

Journalism has been described as a very demanding job, and this demand is heightened when marriage and motherhood are put into context. This is because the Nigerian culture has placed the burden of home and childcare majorly at the feet of women, making it very difficult to break the glass ceiling for women journalists working in the Nigerian news media. This study sought to investigate the impact of motherhood on the career progression of female journalists working in Nigerian newsrooms. The online survey research method was employed to sample 112 female journalists, who are mothers, working in Nigerian newsrooms. It was found that the majority of female journalists have more than one child and took maternity leave for up to 3 months but have declined numerous opportunities as a result of childcare responsibilities. The challenges experienced by respondents include inability to find affordable childcare services, frustration and burnout, declined access to opportunities and training, absence of flexible work options and slow career progression. The study recommends that media owners should support female journalists with children by creating space for crèche/day-care with an experienced day-care service provider so that nursing mothers can be able to access their children promptly. Employers can increase the salaries of workers such that their monthly wage is not affected as a result of childcare services. Furthermore, to foster an environment where women can thrive in their media careers, organisations must critically review existing policies and structures that disadvantage women

The Evolution of Advertising in Nigeria: Promoting Local Content for Sustainable Development

The complex relationship between advertising and local content promotion in Nigeria is one of the huge challenges to sustainable development. Cultural oversimplification, misrepresentation, and dominance of the West do significant damage to the representation of Nigerian culture authentically in the practice of advertising. This paper, therefore, reviews this relationship by incorporating historical evolution, and technological, cultural, and regulatory dynamics. The qualitative research design followed in this study generated primary data through the use of in-depth interviews conducted on key players in the Nigerian advertising industry. The primary data collected underwent a thematic analysis, while the historical analysis was supported by multiple sources, including historical records, publications from the industry itself, and scholarly literature. This research shall, therefore, be located within the understanding of the Cultural Imperialism Theory and the Development Media Theory as a lens to critically analyse the complexity of representations of local content in advertising. The results showed that there were positive and negative perceptions toward the integration of local content in Nigerian advertisements, as most consumers appreciate culturally authentic content. It identifies challenges and also shows how to use opportunities: bridging Nigeria's multicultural identity and digital platforms for sustainable development. This research underlines the need for a balance between global advertising practices and the local cultural nuances of impactful, sensitive campaigns that shall help lead the course of sustainable development and preserve the rich cultural heritage of this great nation.

Re-Fashioning Femininity and Motherhood in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Zikora: A Short Story”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the postcolonial writers who has made her literary contribution by introducing Nigerian culture to her readers in English. This paper aims to present a re-fashioned postcolonial perspective on the understanding of femininity and motherhood in Nigerian culture and to demonstrate how the perception of these concepts has evolved over generations as illustrated by the mother-daughter relationship in Adichie’s “Zikora: A Short Story” (2020). “Zikora” deals with various issues directly related to the situation of Nigerian women, such as single motherhood, polygamy, sexism and the preference for male children. The article draws on African feminism to explore womanhood as an identity and to emphasise the role that contact with a foreign culture plays in women's self-determination and development as individuals. In the story, the eponymous character is a single woman whose expected child is not wanted by her father. In the final stages of labour, Zikora reflects on her mother's relationship with her father and how she had to stay in the polygamous marriage just because she did not bear her husband a son. This study also shows that “Zikora: A Short Story” is a boldly written story that draws attention to the many injustices faced by Nigerian women in a patriarchal society.

Migration and Culture Shock: Neo-Cultural Praxis and Mathe-Logic Reformations in Selected Texts

The study examines ‘Migration and Culture Shock: Neo-Cultural Praxis and Mathe-logic Reformations in Babel of Voices, Tinuke’s Last Dance. It also reviews various feelings and excruciating experiences of the people. This provides a discursive analysis of society and constant need to x-ray those aspects of cultural trends that are problematic. The research is library oriented. Psychological and historical approaches are used in the study as theoretical framework to achieve greater result concerning issues raised in this study and writer’s lenses through the society. In a nutshell, the findings of this research highlights those social problems to draw attention of the audience on various aspects of acculturated behaviours vis-à-vis education that may have touched the playwright to initiate discourse in the guise of critiquing these anomalous situations for highlighted reforms. Babel of Voices situates Charles Okwelume as the likely person who will advance or take Ola Rotimi’s banner in creativity. It also attempts to look at the society to inform audience on the relevance of exposing these abnormal practices and challenges that are inimical to culture and progressive society. These necessitate trends, prospects and challenges of Nigerian culture in this twenty-first century.

The Dehumanising Mood in Early Nigerian Creative Writing: A Hallmark of Modern Literature

The early Nigerian creative writings are recognised as modern literature not simply for the time of their production but among other prevailing characteristics is the recurring mood. Several of Nigerian literatureis laced with the dehumanising mood and a systematic reading of certain works here has not proved the contrary.In this paper we follow a synchronic study of mood on some selected works to substantiate this hypothesis (that there is dominant dehumanising mood) in certain texts of Nigerian literature. Narratives in the texts under study capture timehues of Nigerian cultures and circumnavigate around issues that create dehumanising mood. However, dehumanising feeling itself is one of the major quirks of modernism. This work therefore discusses how the texts consistently narrate oppositions and hostilities that sustain dehumanising mood through narrators and some characters who speak for themselves. Although the texts bequeath a fecund legacy of cultural assertion that later corresponds to the global avowal of black dignity/integrity – negritude, dehumanising mood remains constant and marks those works out as modern literature. Thus, attention will be given to some works of Elechi Amadi’sThe Great Pond, The Slave and Flora Nwapa’s Efuru.The argument is sustained under these sections: modernism/modern literature;source of dehumanising mood in the The Great Pond, The Slave and Efuru; stigmatisation and rejection of conventional truth; and the conclusion.

EXPOSURE TO ANOTHER CULTURE: SHAPING THE SELF OF THE SUBALTERN IN BUCHI EMECHETA’S KEHINDE

The aim of this study is to defamiliarize Gayatri Spivak’s pessimistic approach regarding the condition of the subaltern as a female subject. Spivak’s subaltern, misrepresented by the male-dominated West and the male-dominated East and therefore not belonging to any particular social group, has no history and cannot speak for herself. The position of the subaltern woman is examined based on Buchi Emecheta’s Kehinde (1994), which deals with the circular migration of the eponymous character – Kehinde – from Nigeria to England, back to Nigeria and then back to England. The novel explores the binary between the self and the other of the subaltern woman in relation to the native and host cultures. To this end, the study uses several postcolonial concepts by Homi K. Bhabha, discussed at length in his book The Location of Culture (1994), such as mimicry, liminality, appropriation, and ambivalence, which, in its turn, conceptualises the position of the Nigerian subaltern woman in relation to cultural difference. The study foregrounds the validity of the popular woman theory known as African feminism, which specifically addresses the situation of African women. This approach also makes it possible to redefine the traditional concept of femininity in Nigerian culture. The study shows how cultural difference affects the growing consciousness of the subaltern woman, which ultimately helps her to become an independent person. The study concludes that, unlike Spivak’s subaltern, the Nigerian subaltern creates her own space from which she can speak for herself in the male-dominated society.

Religiosity and well-being among Nigerians: Exploring the mediating role of fatalism

The current study examined how intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations relate to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being and the mediating role of the dimensions of fatalism among Nigerians. Data were obtained from a survey of young Nigerians aged between 17 and 37 years (female = 53.85%; Christian = 88.72%). Results indicated that intrinsic religiosity and the belief in divine control, a dimension of fatalism, were associated with higher eudaimonic well-being and positive affect. Extrinsic religiosity correlated positively with eudaimonic well-being and negative affect. The belief in divine control also had a significant positive mediation effect on the influence of religiosity on eudaimonic well-being and positive affect for females. These findings are consistent with the view that religiosity and fatalism are social values associated with well-being in the Nigerian culture. One critical implication of these findings for both theory and research is that the idea that extrinsic religiosity and fatalism are detrimental to well-being is not universally tenable.

Post-Colonialism: An in-Depth Look at its Cultural Effects in Nigeria

Nigeria has since its independence experienced post-colonialism, which has shaped its culture in all forms including identity, language, literature, traditions, and even media representation. This paper therefore explored the effect of post-colonialism on Nigerian cultural values and practices. The theoretical underpinnings from Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, and Gayatri Spivak served as the theoretical pillars for analyzing the hybrid identities that emerge from the interaction of these diverse influences of colonial legacy. Nigerian identity is dynamic and complex, with traditions of pre-colonial Nigeria interwoven with colonial customs and values. The dominance of English has influenced Nigerian literature, with authors like Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie using the colonial language to express indigenous themes and challenge colonial narratives. The continuous practice of traditional rites by the Nigerian indigenes, especially in areas like music and festivities shows how Nigerian culture is vibrant and enduring. Thus, the media, especially via Nollywood, have also been seen to provide support in lending a voice to combat stereotyped and negative Western images to construct a more diverse and complex Nigerian society. Drawing from the findings presented in this paper, it can be inferred that post-colonialism in Nigerian culture consists of a constant re-configuration of cultural identity, during which traditional characteristics are maintained, modified and infused with cultural representations from other regions of the globe. This paper further proposed a way forward for future studies to build on the contributions made in this study to explore how globalization and technology has continued to shape the dynamic culture of the post-colonial Nigerian society and other post-colonial African region.

Social Practice and Portrayal of Women in the Choice of Cosmetic Products in Lagos Nigeria

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of socio-cultural practice features and portrayal of women in the choice of cosmetic products in Lagos Nigeria.
 Materials and Methods: The study examined social practice features and portrayal of women in choice of cosmetic products in Lagos Nigeria using a mixed method design. The study adopted purposive sampling because this study was only to investigate cosmetic product advertisements and involved only women. The data were collected from seven advertisements of popularly used cosmetic products from company websites and transcribed to ease the process of analysis. They were then analyzed based on Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework of Critical Discourse Analysis. Data for the quantitative aspect data was collected using a questionnaire based on Likert-type scale questions ranging from 1-5 to capture the variables and analysed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics as correlation analysis and regression analysis through SPSS and presented in tables.
 Findings: The findings indicate that socio-cultural practice features significantly predicted portrayal of women in the choice of cosmetic products as the result shows direct positive of social-cultural practice. Most of the portrayal of women tend to persuade the women on a certain form of beauty despite the Nigerian culture. As a result, many people believe what the advertisement says and choose to see themselves in the light of these advertisements. This is part of the effect on social change created by advertisements in the society. Thus, advertisers tend to change the way society views beauty by creating a new beauty ideology and a new standard of beauty derived from what their advertisement says.
 Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study was guided by CDA and the Magic of Meaning theory. Results show that there is a statistically significant relationship between the influence of socio-cultural practice features and the portrayal of women in the choice of cosmetic products. Using CDA, this indicates some social wrongs in the advertisements including the issue of self- esteem in women thereby eroding confidence of the consumers; the demand for women to continually look attractive through these products and compulsive impulse to buy these products. Issues of self-esteem in women are raised thus, cosmetic companies should learn to advertise their products with less manipulative words that will be more societally acceptable. Also, further research is recommended since advertising has an essential role in society.

Exploring Perceptions and Misconceptions of Witchcraft and Wizardry: The Shifting Meanings and Beliefs in Nigeria

Witchcraft and wizardry have long been embedded in Nigerian culture and belief systems, evoking fear, stigma, and misunderstandings. Accusations related to witchcraft have severe consequences, leading to violence, social exclusion, and human rights abuses. These consequences not only perpetuate harm against individuals but also hinder the social progress and development of Nigerian society, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive efforts to address and rectify the misconceptions surrounding witchcraft and wizardry. This paper explores the multifaceted topic of perceptions and misconceptions of witchcraft and wizardry in Nigeria, adopting an interdisciplinary approach drawing upon anthropology, sociology, history, cultural studies, and religious studies. It delves into the historical origins, cultural significance, and shifting meanings of witchcraft, examining the diverse interpretations across different ethnic groups and regions. The paper also addresses the consequences of witchcraft accusations, including human rights issues and social exclusion. This paper aims to contribute to a greater understanding of witchcraft and wizardry in Nigeria and promote informed interventions, social change, and the protection of human rights by shedding light on these complexities.
 
 Received: 31 August 2023 / Accepted: 20 October 2023 / Published: 5 November 2023

Blending Eclecticism and Specificity: The Art of Nollywood Epic Film Costumes

This research explores the unique approach to costume design in Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry. It focuses specifically on the epic film genre and discusses how Nollywood costume designers blend a variety of cultural and historical influences to create costumes that are both authentic and visually striking. It argues that this approach to costume design reflects the eclecticism and diversity of Nigerian culture while also highlighting the specificity and hybridity of the ethnic costumes represented in the film. Drawing on a close analysis of costume designs in Fred Amata’s Ijele (1999) and Kingsley Orji’s Eyes on the Throne (2019), the article offers insights into the creative processes and cultural context that inform this distinctive style of costume design. It uses the cultural hybridity theory by Bhabha Homi to explore the unique approach to costume design in films. Ultimately, the article demonstrates the importance of costume design in Nollywood epic films and argues that it plays a crucial role in constructing the visual and narrative world of these films

Emerging ethical issues in university administration in Nigeria educational institutions

Educational institutions are knowledge factories where individuals are enriched with skills, knowledge and capacity to nurture and develop their potentials. University consists of teachers who are widely read with knowledge and skills with the onus of producing students worthy in character and learning. The study explores the emerging issues in university administration in Nigeria in educational institutions. Emerging issues in university administration are behavioral patterns that undermine the integrity of the educational system. Some of these ethical issues are examination malpractices, indecent dressing, cult-related activities, sexual harassment, extortion from students through the sale of textbooks andblatant disregard for schools ethos and code of conduct. As a way forward, the study suggests that educational institutions should, as a priority, establish dress codes for students and teachers and sensitize students on the core values of Nigerian culture and the likely consequence of unethical issues on the psychic of individuals and the university community.

Exploring reasons Kenya television broadcasts Nollywood movies

This paper sought to explore why Kenya television airs Nollywood movies. The study adopted a qualitative research method. It targeted Citizen and Kiss Televisions’ production managers, focus groups and Nigerian Movie fans. The households were selected randomly. The research consulted documentary sources on Nigerian movies in Kenya. This included gathering information from the internet, Newspapers and research was done by Synovate on Nigerian movie audiences. The obtained data were analysed using descriptive statistics such as mean, mode, percentages, and frequencies. The study concludes that given Nollywood’s great influence over African culture, such an effect is reinforced by the massive consumption of Nigerian movies by Kenyans and Africa as a whole. Many Nigerian video films are filled with religious overtones; therefore, many Africans see most Nigerian movies. These films portray values rooted in their countries of origin. Nigerian video films, as a representation of Nigerian culture, greatly influence an entire population of Africans due to similar cultural practices. The study recommends that Nigerian moviemakers emphasise African culture’s positive sides in their movies. This should be inclusive of marriage ceremonies, the bride prize, family dissolutions, the place of girl/boy child in the African context, African foods and so on. On the other hand, filmmakers should have fewer films on barbaric themes like witchcraft, human sacrifice, and blood thirst vampires. These kinds of movies portray Africa in a Negative way.

The diaspora’s soft power in an age of global anti-Nigerian sentiment

ABSTRACT The global anti-Nigerian sentiment that has engendered the state’s image crisis cannot be denied. This has circumscribed Abuja’s capacity to effectively wield its soft power in Africa and beyond. While successive Nigerian governments have striven to improve the country’s battered image through various initiatives, the state’s image remains negative. There can be no doubt that the diaspora contributes to this image crisis through the activities of Nigerian criminal networks abroad such as drug and human trafficking and advance fee fraud. However, the diaspora has also been critical in counteracting these negative perceptions and so this article examines how the Nigerian diaspora has contributed to soft power by challenging anti-Nigerian sentiment, promoted Nigerian culture, provided remittances, and given technical assistance through the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme.

Symbol in African Religion and Philosophy: the Tiv Experience

Tiv religion is a traditional religion of the people of Benue State, located in the middle belt of the North Central region of Nigeria. This religion is a unique religion because the religion and the people of this region are exclusively peculiar only to the region. Symbols are basic phenomena in the Tiv religion. Tiv people religion, culture and symbols are synonymous and characteristically outstanding in the Nigerian culture. Symbolism is thus a special feature of its religion for it put them on the world map of culture, religion and tradition. Therefore, symbols play a pivotal role in the transmission, interaction, information dissemination and the interplay between the Tiv people and culture, and it culminates in physical and the spiritual world interaction. In other words, it is the thought process of communication between the physical and metaphysical realms. It creates a link between the finite and the infinite. It serves as a character molding agent, and is an agent of supernatural policing and enforcement of punishment. It also guarantees moral conduct and ethos in the society in which it operates. Its various symbolic arts and expressions symbolizes the present and offer some evidence of divine agencies. It therefore connotes an intertwining of both the spirit and physical realms. It is the evidence of the expression of divine injunctions, codes and ethics, and a mode to reprimand actions as well as serving as an agent of deterrence in the society. The role of the Tiv religion and philosophy cannot be over emphasized. The paper employed a literary descriptive method since the research is qualitative in nature.

An Assessment of Indigenous Knowledge of Music Therapy in Nigeria

Indigenous knowledge of music as therapy as it is understood in Nigeria has to do with the acquisition of information about the application of music for healing in traditional settings. There is no doubt that the use of music to educate, rehabilitate, and bring about healing in Nigerian indigenous societies is an age-long tradition. A survey of traditional music which was carried out through questionnaire and interview methods allude to the fact that most Nigerian cultures firmly believe in the therapeutic potency of music. From the perspectives of some selected Nigerian traditional communities (Esan, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Bini, and others) this study, therefore, reveals the various forms of manifestations of music healing traditions in different Nigerian communities. Potent as music may be in healing, if the indigenous must beget the modern, there remains a growing need to examine the indigenous understanding of music therapy. As a major aim of this study, we examined the Nigerian construct of illness; illness causation; and how Nigerian people understand music healing and its associated healing techniques. While this work reveals that music in therapy in Nigerian traditional societies has been in use over the ages, regrettably few incidences have been captured in literature. This suggests that this very important branch of music should be introduced into tertiary institutions as an academic field that should embrace cultural and clinical approaches.

Nigerian Film Industry and Screenplay Text: Historical and Linguo-Socio-Cultural Symbiosis

The issue of the development of the Nigerian film industry and the specifics of the screenplay text as a reflection of the linguocultural picture of the world is considered. The question is raised about identifying the linguo-socio-cultural features of the screenplay text formed during the contact interaction of British English and the indigenous languages and cultures of Nigeria. It is proved that the text of the Nigerian film script has all the key textual categories, like the texts of British and American films, but in the refraction of the Nigerian linguistic culture. The scientific novelty of the study is determined by the derived new properties of the Nigerian screenplay text in the process of linguocultural adaptation of British English to the realities of Nigerian culture. The author’s development of a model of linguocultural adaptation of the Nigerian screenplay text is presented and its unique properties at the level of vocabulary and grammar are revealed. Particular attention is paid to the aspect of the sociolinguistic differentiation of the Nigerian society and the identification of errors in the dialogic communication of the characters depending on their belonging to the sociolinguistic type — acrolect, mesolect, basilect. The results obtained can be used for researchers in the field of the theory of language contacts in the field of communicative syntax.

Protecting the Best Interests of Children: A Critical Analysis of Child Custody and Divorce Proceedings in Nigeria under the Child Rights Act 2003

Purpose: This journal article is to analyse child custody and divorce cases in Nigeria emphasising the Child Rights Act of 2003. Design Methodology/ Approach: This study uses textual analysis including library sources, case studies, and government reports, to examine the difficulties that occur when children’s best interests are not taken into account in the course of custody battles within Nigeria’s legal system. Findings: It is obvious from the findings of this study that the Child Rights Act 2003, protects the rights and welfare of children during divorce processes. Nonetheless, practices and lack of means make it difficult to implement it. Original Value: The originality is seen through this paper’s ability to present useful information concerning Nigerian child custody and divorce processes. Moreover, it suggests some ways of improving child custody orders while at the same time implementing the Child Rights Act 2003. In Nigerian culture, this research helps us understand how we can protect children during marital disputes with its attendant problems as well as prospects

Language and cultural code peculiarities within the framework of cross-cultural communication

The article deals with the peculiarities of linguistic and cultural code-specific features which have a significant impact on the successful communication process within the framework of intercultural interaction. According to the research work, the basic ground of cross-cultural communication operates with definitions and cultural elements, which are of primary importance in the language-mastering process and adaptation procedure to the foreign language environment. The authors of the research work analyze the concepts of code existing processes in modern linguistics, considering the key components of the linguistic and cultural code, stressing the complex nature of intercultural communication procedure due to the subjective application of individual background knowledge of a person while adapting to a foreign country's language and culture environment. Special attention is paid to the process of code-switching, which entails a stage of the new coding system. The analyzed process is a system of subcodes transformation procedure while sub coding information is carried out using an unlimited number of verbal and nonverbal communication signs. The article presents the author's ideas about the strategic influence of Standard British English on the language and cultural conditions of such language variants as Nigerian English. Being used as the official language, Nigerian English presents a hybrid type language variant, adapting British English phonetics, lexis and grammar to the needs of local cultures and languages. The code-switching process from local languages into English in formal communication is a typical process for Nigerians. While analyzing the specific features of the code-switching process in Nigerian English, the authors stress the necessity of paying attention to all language group variants: basilect, mesolect and acrolect, which are equally used in Nigerian society. One must admit code-switching process results in the popularity of Nigerian Pidgin English which has become the most popular unofficial language to nearly all Nigerian social groups thanks to it simplification in all language levels. Nigerian cultures and languages made Standard British English adapt to the local environment due to the needs of speakers. To conclude, the authors stress the specificity of the speaker is revealed in the process of cross-cultural communication and adaptation based on the peculiarities of the peoples' mentality as well as on a communicant's national character specificity.