AGIDIGBO: ABUAD Journal of the Humanities

(Re) Examining the Functions of Dùndún Talking Drum in the Inter-Cultural Music Process of Africa and the African Diaspora

Adéolú O. Ògúnsànyà — 2024-09-10

Whenever the hourglass-shaped drum 'Dùndún' is mentioned, minds of music scholars readily go to the hourglass-talking drum of the Yorùbá-speaking people of West Africa. However, this does not mean that this musical instrument is peculiar to the Yorùbá as its distribution- in its varied forms- across West Africa is general; covering an area stretching roughly from Senegal to the Cameroun Republic¹. This talking drum's compositional and performance techniques have become highly specialized and standardized because of its high usage in both the social and religious celebrations of the Yorùbá. This paper focuses on the use of Dùndún to perform other sonic functions beyond Yorùbá speech melodies and oral poetry. Intercultural music theory, being used in this study has shown that the prospect of Dùndún talking drum usage within the context of diasporic music performances proffers greater potential for the instrument as it has been favourably utilized by internationally renowned musicians in contemporary popular music both within and outside the shores of Africa. Furthermore, that interested musicians in the diaspora will find this instrument useful for their subsequent compositions and performances will help redefine the socio-cultural worldview of the music of Africa.

A Psychoanalytic Criticism of Ifesinachi Nwadike’s How Morning Remembers The Night

Kolawole Dennis Olaniyan — 2024-09-10

In recent times, it appears Nigerian poets are influenced by changes in the country's social-political and economic landscape to such an extent that their artistic expressions are thought to have tilted towards psychological dimension. This observation transcends the social commitment and ideological inclinations often identified with the poets in the past. Therefore, this paper attempts a psychoanalytic criticism of Ifesinachi Nwadike’s poetry, How Morning Remembers the Night, focusing on the instances of psychosocial disorder as an association of socio-economically induced psychological conditions that find expression in the collection. Conceptualising this condition, the study adopts a descriptive research method premised on critical analysis in which attention is given to symptomatic elements like the persona’s recollected experiences, tone and cathartic disposition. Here, a synthesis of the theoretical paradigms of psychoanalysis proposed by Sigmund Freud and Erich Fromm is found rewarding in providing a framework for the conception of the poetry as the persona’s dream text. The study discovers that the psychosocial disorders identified in the collection symptomatically find expression in the poetic persona’s tone in form of emotional disturbances and that they are triggered by memories of societal failings. Consequently, the persona displays the identities of an aggrieved songbird and a griot whose memory is clouded by grief and anguish in reaction to societal foibles. The paper concludes that certain psychosocial disturbances that are noticeable among Nigerian citizens under the same unfavorable societal conditions have permeated Nwadike’s poetry.

A Semantic Analysis of Selected Nigerian Newspaper Reports on the Effect of the 2023 Naira Redesign

Jane Chinelo Obasi — 2024-09-10

This study is a semantic analysis of news reports on the effect of the 2023 Nigerian Naira redesign from selected Nigerian newspapers. A total of 40 news reports were purposively sampled from four Nigerian newspapers (The Sun, Vanguard, The Guardian and Premium Times). Fillmore’s (1982) Frame Semantic Theory, which proposed that language is composed of semantic frames, which are mental representations of situations or scenarios, was adopted for this study. A qualitative research design was employed in the data analysis to examine the elements of Frame Semantic Theory evident in the extracted data. The findings revealed that all the four newspapers consistently framed the effects of the Naira redesign within the context of economic hardship. It also revealed that the newspapers predominantly conveyed negative perspectives regarding the Naira redesign. The cross-newspaper comparative analysis also highlighted the widespread and varied effects of the Naira redesign.

Language, Visuality and Representation of Nigeria - China Relations in Nigerian Digital Space

Paul Onanuga — 2024-09-10

Nigeria – China relationship has witnessed significant upsurge in the last decade. The budding relationship however continues to attract diverse perceptions as reflected in digital spaces. In this study, ten images – cartoons – from the Internet were subjected to Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis. The depictions of Chinese influence and activities in Nigeria are engaged and representations that oscillate from financial/economic concerns to issues around sociality and culture are identified. Within the discourses around economy, China is revealed as a superpower attempting to exert its influences through subtle force to take over national sovereignty, while Nigerian leaders are shown as complicit in the exploitation of their citizens. In the context of sociality and culture, China is represented as a thriving society which is worthy of emulation although issues around racism and discrimination are also tackled. The diversity of representations manifests the complications that continue to engage issues of globalisation, fear of domination, and China’s rise in Africa.

Intertextuality and Scapegoating Motif in Yoruba Myth of Ayélála and Judeo-Christian Narrative of Jesus

Kehinde Oyetimi — 2024-09-10

Myths have always been significant parts of the oral traditions of preliterate societies. As the creative repository of indigenous communities, myths express the shared ecosystem of communal ideologies and cultural identities. As vital narratives, myths—whether in their symbolical, literal or allegorical multimodalities—are artistically constructed to serve cosmological and ontological purposes. Given their very universal appeal and representation, myths frequently exhibit cross-cultural correspondences, borrowing motifs, themes, and characters from remote, neighboring or dominant cultures. Intertextuality, the weaving together of diverse cultural elements within myths, suggests that texts are part of a larger network influencing and shaping one another, fostering dialogue and meaning production through interaction. It encompasses practices like ritual performances, quotation, allusion, parody, pastiche, and adaptation, encouraging readers to be active participants in uncovering hidden layers of meaning. Earlier studies on ritual practices for restoring social order and cosmic balance have established the criticality of the scapegoat motif. While engaging intertextuality and social drama as theoretical framework, this study examined layers of cross-cultural parallels of the scapegoat motif in the Yoruba myth of Ayélála and the Judeo-Christian narrative of Jesus. In both myths, the scapegoat emerges as a character or entity burdened with blame or punishment for the sins or troubles of others, often sacrificed to restore communal harmony or absolve guilt.

The Dark Side of Connectivity: A Socio-Ethical Exploration of Internet Fraud and Nigerian Youth

Onyinyechi Priscilla Christian Wariboko — 2024-09-10

Internet fraud, popularly known as ‘yahoo-yahoo’ in the Nigerian parlance, reverberates across the Nigerian state and keeps gaining approval as somewhat permissible as days go by. Humongous media reports abound as well as other surreptitious or conspicuous activities of internet fraudsters in Nigeria. A great deal of Nigerian youths have embraced it and has jettisoned hard work, process, building from the scratch, integrity, compassion and pay little or no attention to education. This state of affairs has social and ethical implications for Nigeria as a state. With insights drawn from Robert Merton’s structural strain theory and Aristotle’s virtue ethics, this paper qualitatively examines the spate of indiscreet deals by criminally minded Nigerian youth and particularly mirrors its social and ethical implications. Data is gathered through interviews, observations and literal readings. Findings show that internet fraud, which is eating deep into the fabric of Nigeria has exacerbated the get-rich-quick syndrome, disrupted the smooth running of the nation and holds dire socio-ethical consequences for the future of the nation. This paper recommends that the government, family unit, as well as religious organizations must play salient roles in sensitizing, educating, guiding and sanctioning internet criminals for the good of society. This research contributes to existing knowledge by exploring the phenomenon of internet fraud in Nigeria through the lenses of sociology and ethics, yielding recommendations that stem from these disciplines to combat the problem.

Narratives of Resistance: Discursive Strategies in Nigeria’s 2020 #EndSARS Protest

Matthew Alugbin — 2024-09-10

The #EndSARS hashtag, which started in 2017, was one of the tools used to share, on Twitter, experiences and advocacy on police brutality in Nigeria. Extant works have explored the use of social media for civic engagement, consciousness re-awakening, counter-narratives and societal disruption, amongst other uses. The present study focuses on how discursive strategies of resistance were deployed to create and sustain agitations using Twitter as a mobilising force of mass movement to achieve political goals. van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) with insights from computer-assisted textual analysis was used to analyse a corpus of 1,000 tweets with the #EndSARS hashtag. Findings show that blame attribution, recontexualisation of events, categorisation, victim positioning, and cross-border appeal are discursive resistance strategies used to sustain solidarity, create bonds and negotiate power among the marginalised people. Through these, protesters were able to create defiance and directive acts in the people. These strategies not only create a contest for political power between the government and the masses but also help in the construction of a resistance ideology among the people. Hence, new perspectives on social media should consider the paradigm shift that has resulted in how narratives are sustained and negotiated during online social movements.

Dystopian Humour and Postcolonial Anomie in Femi Osofisan's Midnight Hotel

Olumide Ogunrotimi — 2024-09-10

This article explores the intersection of humour and postcolonial themes in Femi Osofisan's Midnight Hotel through the lens of postcolonial contextualisation. Osofisan, a prominent Nigerian playwright, employs satire and dark humour to depict a dystopian society grappling with the protracted ramifications of colonialism. The play is the author's satirical condemnation of Nigeria’s debased value system, as he deconstructs a wasteland of underdevelopment, corruption, and amorality. The aim of the paper is to analyse how Osofisan critiques power structures, societal norms, and the failures of postcolonial governance through humour. Central to this analysis is the concept of "postcolonial anomie," referring to the moral and social disorientation experienced in societies transitioning from colonial rule to independence. Utilising a close textual analysis of the play’s major elements, the research methodology involves examining how Osofisan employs humour to depict and critique the dystopian reality of postcolonial Nigeria. The findings reveal that Osofisan's portrayal of postcolonial anomie through humour adds complexity to the narrative, highlighting both the absurdity and tragedy of the characters' predicaments. Moreover, the article uncovers how Osofisan incorporates dystopian elements to underscore the consequences of unchecked power and corruption, offering a cautionary tale about the dangers of authoritarianism and neocolonialism. By blending satire with poignant social commentary, Midnight Hotel emerges as a powerful vehicle for critiquing contemporary issues within the postcolonial context. In conclusion, this article contributes to the understanding of Osofisan's literary legacy and the role of humour in interrogating complex sociopolitical dynamics in postcolonial societies.

Restructuring Religious Education for Development Sustainability in the 21st Century Nigeria

Bolayemi. O. S. Alaka-Osinowo — 2024-09-10

The importance of education to national development and growth especially in Nigeria cannot be overlooked. It plays vital roles in the resources essential for societal growth and it should be noted that these resources include human resources as individuals are responsible for nation building. Education comprises basic knowledge and skills required for sustainable living. These knowledge and skills constitute moral values and codes which are learnt through religious education. Hence, religious education remains vital and relevant particularly in the 21st century Nigeria. In the 21st century, religious education in Nigeria continues to experience problems ranging from the implementation of irrational educational policies by the constituted authorities particularly against educational system, poor funding, mismanagement and misappropriation, political instability, bad governance, just to mention a few. It is not a dispute that these lingering issues have indented the place of religious education and its values in the educational system which has been debased. Nevertheless, acquiring quality education should be measured on global standards, such that the acquired knowledge could match up with the global scale. Therefore, it is crucial to revisit and reconstruct religious education particularly to conform to the 21st century Nigerian society. This is to attain a stable and life - long relevance within the Nigerian educational system. It is a qualitative discourse and it engages primary and secondary sources of data information, it adopts the functional theory which spells out the functions of religious education to the national development particularly in the 21st century as well as the theory of relevance which reflects the relevance of religious education as tool to instill morals and mould individuals into good and patriotic citizens. It includes discussions on the challenges militating against religious education in the 21st century. The relevance of religious education at this era, and recommended suggestable strategies to sustain its relevance further into the future.

Multimodal Discourse Features in Selected Nigerian Political Cartoons

Esther Olajumoke Adeagbo — 2024-09-10

Political cartoons in Nigerian society serve as tools for political commentary and social critique. This research investigates the socio-political impact of visual and linguistic strategies in selected Nigerian political cartoons, addressing a significant gap in the existing literature concerning the role of visual media in political discourse. Despite the prevalent use of political cartoons in Nigerian media, there has been limited scholarly attention to how these cartoons utilise visual and linguistic elements to critique socio-political disputes. This study aims to bridge this gap by employing Kress and van Leeuwen’s Grammar of Visual Design and Roland Barthes’ Semiotic Theory to analyse seven selected political cartoons. The study's primary aim is to explore how these cartoons communicate complex political realities and influence public perception. The objectives include identifying the visual and linguistic strategies used in the cartoons, examining the socio-political issues they address, and evaluating their impact on public discourse. The findings reveal that Nigerian political cartoons employ a sophisticated blend of visual and linguistic strategies to convey powerful socio-political messages. The analysis demonstrates that these cartoons effectively highlight issues such as corruption, economic hardship, political neglect, and the disparity between the ruling elites and the suffering masses. The study also found that these cartoons effectively depict the disparity between the ruling elites and the suffering masses, employing salience, framing, modality, denotation, connotation, and myth to engage and challenge public perception. The research underscores the significance of political cartoons as tools for socio-political engagement and discourse, demonstrating their role in reflecting and shaping public opinion on critical national issues. In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of political cartoons as a medium for socio-political engagement and discourse in Nigeria. It highlights the critical role of visual semiotics in political commentary and the necessity for further research into the impact of visual media on public opinion and political accountability.

Review: Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War: A Memoir

Rotimi Olajide Opeyeoluwa — 2024-09-12

This book is very interesting, insightful, engaging, and hard to put down. It is also spicy, informative, and illuminating in all ramifications about the Liberian war, and her personal life and it unearths the hidden criminalities of war on vulnerable groups. The book is about the evolution of an individual and a nation at war; how a person, that is, the author fought her personal “wars” and translated the enormous strength she developed within the intervening years to confront the warlords bent on annihilating her nation and people. She dared the demons and prevailed but it was indeed not an easy assignment that life’s battles had equipped her for. The structure of the book is logical with a prologue and twenty-one-chapters, filled with gripping personal details and others stories related to the war of attrition that defined that epoch.

Assessing the Role of the United Nations in Countering Global Terrorism: Issues and Challenges

Timbyen Barshep — 2024-09-12

Global attention has shifted to terrorism since 9/11 multiple terror attacks on the United States. The study examines the efficacy of the United Nations in galvanizing global effort against terrorism, 2001-2021. It argues that while the global body didn't envision the emergence of terrorism, the global body has strained apace with global issues, more so with terrorism both before and especially since the multiple terror attacks on the United States on 9/11. The United Nations has provided an outlet on global response. Employing the use of secondary source and relying on archival materials, the study found that the UN has since stopped efforts in leading consensus on the devastating impact of terrorism on global security if not quickly checked. Thus, unlike arguments by some critics, the UN, especially since 2001 has remained unrelenting in arguing for a global consensus for a unanimity to define terrorism. The study recommends that terrorism can best be defeated with a shift in the structure of the international system from the perception of the ''we versus them'' approach to an all-embracing system coordinated by the United Nations.

Nigeria and the Organization of Islamic Countries; 2004-2021

Oluwakorede Fadipe — 2024-09-12

The study examines the fluctuating scope of the Nigeria Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) from 2004 to 2020, a time of increased complexities both from within and beyond Nigeria. The study relied on secondary sources such as journals and newsletters and adopted a qualitative method for indepth analysis. The findings of the study suggest that while the relationships can be beneficial to Nigeria, Nigeria's political leaders must learn how to convey such an impression to its selective Christian community that it is not a ploy to convert Nigeria from secularism to an Islamic nation. Based on this, the study recommends that such scrutiny and skepticism towards Nigeria's membership should be enlightened to objectively evaluate the OIC's religious and socio-economic benefits, which Nigeria can take advantage of as a member.

Mitigating the Causes of Teenagers’ Involvements in Money Ritual and Related Activities in Ogun State, Nigeria

Zabur Olayiwola Soluade — 2024-09-12

This study assesses the mitigating causes of teenagers’ involvements in money rituals and related activities in Ogun State. The study sets out to assess the factors responsible for the pandemic of money ritual and suggests solutions to the upsurge of money ritual related killings among teenagers. The study employed a descriptive research design. The population for this study consists of all residences in Abeokuta South and Ado-Odo/Ota local government areas of Ogun state. Participants were selected using a purposive random sampling procedure. The main instrument for this study is a self-structured questionnaire tagged: “Teenager and Money Rituals Killings Questionnaire” (TMRKQ). (R =0.82). Data collected was coded and analysed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation. The results show that factors such as greediness on the part of teenagers and peer group pressure contributed to teenagers' involvement in money rituals and factors such as promotion of hard work, good values system and conducts among the youths will reduce youth tendency of engaging in money rituals. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the government should punish offenders to serve as a deterrent to others and the government should improve on intelligent gathering techniques in reducing cases of money rituals killings in the country.

Russia-Ukraine War and Implications of Finland’s Membership of NATO

Stephanie Ngelale — 2024-09-12

This study examines how the war between Russia and Ukraine has tilted Finland into the orbit of NATO. Therefore, the research approach is a qualitative systematic literature review, and it examines scholarly papers, foreign policy reports, and websites like Carnegie Europe and the Atlantic Council that deal with international relations. In addition, the study examines what this milestone poses for East-West relations within the international system going-forward. The study as a concluding remark indicated that the war between Russia and Ukraine has significant geo-political ramifications which are discussed in this study. Likewise, Ukraine's struggles on the battlefields are still raging, while neighbouring nations like Finland and Sweden have sought stronger ties with both of them making connections with NATO for increased security in response to the crisis. Similarly, the defection of Finland into the NATO alliance is of consequential impact on global dynamics. As a result, insightful information on the changing dynamics of the area and the difficulties of post-conflict international cooperation and security are gleaned from the comprehensive literature research.

Poetry: Therapeutic Functions and Effects on Youth Mental Well-being in Post-COVID -19 Era in Nigeria

Esther Funke Awodiya — 2024-09-12

Poetry is a form of positive distraction for youths that can improve mental well-being. During stress, trauma, and grief, poetry writing helps put thoughts together. The COVID-19 lockdown period gave rise to many artistic expressions from the youth. This form of engagement continued during the post-COVID Period, which led to increased numbers of active participants in poetry writing and literary organizations activities in Nigeria. This paper examines the experiences of youth involved in poetry writing during and after the COVID lockdown in Nigeria. It also explores the perceived contribution of poetry writing to mental well-being of youth. However, there are young people who write poetry who died by suicide, using their poems as an outlet before their death. The study adopts a descriptive research design through a qualitative approach, and the data were sourced through secondary data and interviews. The theoretical framework for this paper is the social action theory. The research established that poetry is therapeutic in nature. It helps to deal with difficult circumstances. Youths interviewed associate positive feeling to poetry writing. But the research found that literary engagement and group activities contribute to mental well-being too. This study, thus, recommends that more scholarly attention should be directed to literary hubs and their contribution of mental well-being of youth.

The Cheapest Way to Europe: Illegal Migration and Women Objectification in African Film

Stephen Toyin Ogundipe — 2024-09-12

This paper explores the dynamics of irregular migration and the objectification of women in Boris Lojkine’s film Hope, highlighting the increasing prominence of these themes in African films. Through an analysis grounded in Martha Nussbaum’s feminist perspectives on objectification, the article examines how the film director portrays the female body as a commodity. The paper posits that sexual objectification is a gendered phenomenon and that the objectified body is almost always the female body. The findings reveal a gendered survival strategy employed by migrants facing insurmountable challenges in their attempts to leave Africa. It concludes that the commodification of female migrants becomes an unavoidable consequence for those who successfully navigate the dangerous and unlawful routes to Europe.

African Metaphysics and Praxis: Revisiting the Idea of Human Development in Yoruba Metaphysical Notion of Omoluabi

Ademola Lukman Lawal — 2024-09-12

The discourse on African metaphysics as it relates to human development is centered around the notion of personhood predominantly extractable from the layers of oral and written traditions across African cultural worldviews. This research aims to critically evaluate the idea of African metaphysics in the light of inquiries surrounding the meaning and nature of human development, through an interrogation of the concept of person and personhood, expressed within the subsets of African socio-cultural conceptualisations, particularly the Yoruba notion of Omoluabi, which will form a crucial layer of engagement for this research. Basically, while (on the one hand); the tendency to see a generic theory of human personality or personhood as tenable everywhere would create a clash of realities in different climes and cultures, (on the other) the differences from culture to culture are perceived dialogically as handed on through stories and histories of human development from birth until death. To this end, this research will interrogate the concept of human development on the basis of how socialisation processes specifically seen through the agencies of local folklores and folktales, customs and traditions tend to interact with, influence as well as impact upon the individual view of self and the other as it relates to the conception of personality, and its succeeding roles within the community. Keywords: Africa, Metaphysics, Communitarianism, Personhood, Human Development.

Personological Creation of Language: The Feminist Perspective

Taofeek Olatunbosun — 2024-09-12

This research stems from Helene Cixous's call for women to invent their language – the language of feminism – by interpreting their identities as a science of feminine creation. This science is a protest of women's subjugation and exploitation using symbolic language to question male supremacy. Thus, this research investigates sexual differentiation as related to language differentiation between men and women. This investigation aims to develop standards and deploy a feminist-specific language known as l’ecriture feminine. Significantly, the argument seeks to challenge masculine realities, judgments and perspectives manifested in language deployment. A creative writing-based methodology is used, and the primary author is Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, together with other relevant authors and feminist critics who have demonstrated in their works, women's patterns of reasoning and language. The goal is to create a language of feminism that is a conscious effort to erase or contrast the language of patriarchal imaginary order, which is fundamental in language codification. Consequently, female and male writers who share this position are encouraged to develop and rewrite popular narratives to establish the language of feminism as a field of exploration and use in the modern world.

On Decolonising Artificial Intelligence

Helen Titilola Olojede — 2024-09-12

Logic and probability as branches of Mathematics and aspects of Philosophy, underlie and play significant roles in the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In its simplest form, logic concerns right reasoning (especially one devoid of fallacies), patent truth and inferences. Probability has to do with uncertainties, that is, the likelihood of an event happening. The divide between traditional AI and modern AI regarding what roles logic and probability play in the development of AI has been mitigated with the notion that both are complementary without displacing the other. While the birth of AI as a field is usually linked to the 1956 conference with figures involving Marvin Minsky and John McCarthy, there are traces of what we refer to as robots, automatons and computations which form the foundation of AI in some non-Western philosophies. To this end, this paper chronicles the emergence of AI in non-Western philosophies, especially in African philosophy and then uses the Yoruba's 'ifá' to exemplify the idea of decolonising Al, not forgetting that the basis of ifá itself is logic and, sometimes, probability.