1. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION IN NIGERIA:
THEROLEOFDRAMAANDTHEATRE
Dr. A.L. Imiti
Department of Theatre Arts
Delta State University, Abraka
2. INTRODUCTION
In our previous lessons, we have looked at various definitions of conflict. We
may need not bore ourselves with that here.
However, we should note that conflict is a common phenomenon in human
society arising from social, political, economic, ethnic, and religious
differences.
It occurs as a result of misunderstanding or disagreement between two or
more persons over an issue, especially when it affects their well being and
sensibility.
3. INTRO Cont...
It is mostly expressed through violence.
In order to avoid degeneration of conflict to violence it
becomes imperative to manage it. Conflict management
therefore becomes a critical factor necessary for the
peaceful co-existence of people within a community, state
or nation.
4. An alternative means of conflict management
and resolution is through the exploration of the
creative potential of drama and theatre. Through
their vehicle of entertainment and enlightenment,
drama and theatre provide multi solutions to a
problem.
5. INTRO Cont...
By definition, drama is simply the re-presentation of
events before and audience, while theatre is an
integration of the performing arts, which includes
music, songs, dance and drama itself. In this study,
and henceforth both are used interchangeably
6. Theatre which integrates the performing arts,
provides a veritable means for monitoring,
analyzing, managing and resolving conflicts
situation.
This is done via its Theatre-for-Development
platform (TFD)
7. CAUSES OF CONFLICT IN NIGERIA
The causes of conflict in Nigeria are multifarious as
noted by scholars, researchers and human
development agencies.
As noted earlier, this includes:
Social differences
Politics
Economics
Ethnicity
Religion
8. CAUSES Cont…
These enumerated causes are also interrelated to some
degree. At the bottom of it all is the perception that, as a
consequence of disagreement, an individual, group or
community’s interest, concerns and belief or values are
being threatened.
9. It is worthy to note that conflict in various forms
of manifestation continue to thrive in Nigeria due
to:
Bad and insensitive leadership, driven by
corruption and greed
Quest for power
10. CAUSES Cont…
Forceful acquisition of primitive wealth and mediocrity
Poverty
Deprivation
Ignorance
Blindness of individuals or groups to other people’s
views, needs or values
11. CAUSES Cont…
These tendencies have compounded the problems of
underdevelopment and peaceful co-existence in Nigeria.
12. CAUSES Cont…
Most Crisis Prone Regions in Nigeria
The most crisis prone regions in Nigeria are the
Northern Nigeria and the Niger Delta. Specifically in
the North:
North East – Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi Gombe, Taraba,
and Yobe
North West – Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kano
and Sokoto.
13. CAUSES Cont…
Most Crisis Prone Regions in Nigeria
And the Niger Delta region made up of:
Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom,
Abia, Imo and Ondo
14. CAUSES Cont…
Most Crisis Prone Regions in Nigeria
The Northern Nigeria is characterized by religious conflict
boosted by ignorance, poverty, unemployment and
religious ideologies.
The most prominent in recent times is the Boko-Haram
crisis, founded on the basis of “discarding western
education”.
Farmer-herdsman conflict which is not alien to the Niger
Delta. Uwheru Comminity is a good example
15. CAUSES Cont…
Most Crisis Prone Regions in Nigeria
In the Niger Delta there are three identifiable conflict
situations. These are:
Ethnic nationalities of the oil-rich region and the oil
exploration corporations, which gave birth to ethnic
militia groups such as MEND and Federal
16. Government’s undiplomatic approach through
military repression
Inter-ethnic clashes , especially between
Urhobo-Itsekiri, Itsekiri-Ijaw and Urhobo-Ijaw
over land disputes and control over Warri and
its environs.
17. CAUSES Cont…
Most Crisis Prone Regions in Nigeria
The quest for political power by all means,
characterized by election rigging and result
manipulation and falsification
Hostage taking for ransom, and killings.
18. THE ROLE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE IN
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION
A most interesting thing about drama is that it is
about people in conflict and the processes of
resolving the issues in conflict with possible lessons
to be learnt.
19. Drama is the most functional and ideological of all
the art form because of its sociality and thus, has
enormous potential to bring about changes in
society. These changes are achievable through the
vehicle of enactment and entertainment.
Drama functions to redeem and the artist as a
redeemer
20. THE ROLE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE IN
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION Cont…
It is based on this that we can fundamentally reason
that theatre serves to redeem a decadent culture, and
as a civilizing agent, seek to re-order and redirect
society to ethical values of life through performances.
While theatre is not an end , it is however a means to
explore the reality of human condition and “to
speculate, not only in what is, but on what ought to be
or what might be” (Moody, p. 68).
21. THE ROLE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE IN
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION Cont…
Realizing the potential of theatre to opening insight and
avenues to conflict resolution, some notable Nigerian
dramatists, such as Ola Rotimi, Sam Ukala, Ahmed
Yerima, Femi Osofisan, to mention but a few, have
written plays on how to manage conflict
Some of their works in this regard include:
If…a tragedy of the ruled – Ola Rotimi
Akpakaland - Sam Ukala
Hard Ground – Ahmed Yerima
Another Raft – Femi Osofisan
22. THE ROLE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE IN
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION Cont…
These plays are preoccupied with human conflict and
are resolved amicably.
However, as earlier noted in our introduction, a most
potent form of theatre in conflict management and
resolution is TFD.
23. TFD, provides the means for vital actor-spectator
interaction which could stimulate out-of-the-box
creativity towards new approaches to conflict
management and resolution
24. THE ROLE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE IN
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION Cont…
TFD, in Nigeria, is based on the foundation laid by
Augusto Boal in his Theatre of the oppressed.
Boal’s founded “Forum Theatre” is a type of
interactive/participatory theatre rooted in Paulo Freire’s
pedagogic principles.
Its method involves creating a dramatic conflict from
familiar situations and analyzing the root cause of the
conflict through group exploration for solution
mechanism.
25. THE ROLE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE IN
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION Cont…
The functional role of TFD is that it has capacity to
influence thought and opinion. It can also drive
action.
TFD seeks to create awareness through enlightenment
26. It is an effective medium of extensive
communication
Because of its potential to reach remote
targets, TFD has been considered a very power
medium of mass communication by United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, UNESCO
27. THE ROLE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE IN
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION Cont…
TFD also provides a forum for group or community
discussion and analysis of conflict situation by
constructing dramatic scenarios with active
participation of the target group or community
members.
28. With this, developmental theatre helps conflicting
parties to locate obstacles and recognize the
structural problems underlying the people’s misery
Created scenarios also provide opportunity for
strategizing on the possibilities of managing or
even resolving crisis.
29. THE ROLE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE IN
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION Cont…
The National Popular Theatre Alliance (NPTA),
founded in 1984, has been credited with being in the
forefront of peace building efforts in Northern
Nigeria.
The primary objective of NPTA is to promote
participatory, gender sensitive development and
sustainable human resources management through
popular theatre strategy
30. THE ROLE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE IN
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AND
RESOLUTION Cont…
We should note that in engaging TFD for conflict
mediation, there is the need to understand the culture
and sensibility of the people in conflict, their needs as
well as their capacity to create and destroy.
This understanding helps in the identification,
mediation and resolution of a conflict
31. CONCLUSION
The theatre, through all its mediums of expression, has
enormous capacity to play a critical role in conflict
management and resolution in Nigeria.
Through its extensive communication system –
dramatization, dancing, singing and poetry – that are
indigenous to the people, it is able to reach unlimited target
groups and provide a platform where causes of conflict are
identified, assessed and evaluated through drama
presentation.
32. CONCLUSION Cont…
TFD allows conflicting parties to step outside their
entrenched positions into dramatic roles that may
allow them to try different alternatives and even to
appreciate the enemy’s point-of-view.
33. Government and well meaning individuals or groups
are therefore implored to explore the creative
resources of theatre by staging performances that will
stress the positive aspects of harmonious living which
include religious tolerance, inter-ethnic marriages,
equitable contribution of wealth, power, amongst
others