Research Projects

Scholarship holders from Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Niger and Germany are researching on aspects of culture and arts in conflict resolution, peace processes and sustainable development in West Africa, e.g. the role of theatre and film in refugee communities, the effects of migration and displacement on tangible and intangible cultural heritage, cultural policy and cultural management. The Graduate School addresses a new research area with this specific focus.

In the post 2015 global goals, the United Nations (UN) dedicated one of the sustainable development goals specifically to environmental sustainability in the form of climate change action. The goal outlines actions that countries must take to neutralize and mitigate the negative impact of climate change in order to have sustainable future as well as environmental justice. In the Northeastern region of Nigeria, culture is embedded in the dominant modes of production, consumption, lifestyles and social organization that may give rise to emissions of greenhouse gases. The consequences of these emissions or climate change impacts can be understood through cultural interpretations of science and risk. Culture is therefore no less central to understanding and implementing adaptation i.e. the identification of risks, decisions about responses and means of implementation are all mediated by culture. The current state of research has shown that national efforts to build and maintain climate resilient society are not yet taking emerging indigenous cultural responses to climate change in rural areas affected by conflict systematically into account. This research therefore intends to also assess the indigenous cultural responses or adaptation strategies to climate change in the Northeastern region.

For decades, Jos Metropolis in Plateau State had been recognized as the indubitable cradle of peace in Nigeria. Since September 2001, however, this status has acquired a doubtful ring around it owing to the inter-communal clashes that erupted over various cultural, socio-political and economic issues. The conflict is mainly between autochthonous communities (indigenes) and in-migrant ones (settlers). The present situation in Jos is characterized by the erosion of social and cultural capital, and if something drastic is not done, this loss could become irreversible. A formidable group that can determine either outcome is the generation born after 2001, now belonging to the children and youth category.The present study is aimed at contributing to addressing this knowledge gap. The study shall be conducted as an applied theatre intervention, using the research-in-creative-practice approach. This means, it comprises of both the pursuit of praxis as well as intervening in addressing the issues to be generated from engagement with community members, while still contributing to knowledge. The medium of radio shall be used to create participatory drama.

Kyegh Sha Shwa is an event which is fast gaining recognition nationally and with potential for global reach. As a traditional festival of the Tiv people as well as a tourist attraction event, the festival began 8years ago and now attracts thousands of local and international tourists. It is embellished with assorted theatrical performances such as dance, music, indigenous games and competitions, language, costumes, indigenous cuisines, puppet theatre, etc. This study is much needed giving the increasing push by the Nigerian Government and international stakeholders to diversify the country’s revenue source. Tourism and agriculture are proven viable alternatives to crude oil revenue for Benue State and Nigeria as a whole. It would also be a positive step towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, specifically SDG Goals 8, and 12. This study therefore seeks to examine the potentials of the Kyegh Sha Shwa as a cultural tourism outlet, particularly in the understanding of culture as an enabler of sustainable development. The study will also demonstrate that beyond their entertainment function, the dance, music and other theatrical performances at the festival are vital in driving the message of conviviality, peace building and sustainable agriculture.

A fundamental obstacle to reintegration is how to reverse years of extremist thoughts and philosophy and make such persons fit and become functioning members of a society they once ravaged; while at the same time ensuring that the fragile peace currently obtainable, is not further jeopardized by such initiative. Reversing those extremist thoughts is known as deradicalization and can only be achieved through peace education. Reintegration efforts will have to include building local support and approaches. This is where the traditional institutions come into play, haven always played a crucial part in conflict resolution in Africa, due to their acquaintance with the root causes of conflict and strong grassroot  footing. This makes them instrumental to the success or otherwise of any policy in Nigeria, with the current reintegration programme not likely to be and exception.

After periods of insurgency and conflict, peace is now gradually being restored in the Michika LGA. However, peacebuilding is a long-term commitment that requires transformations at structural, cultural and relational levels. Arts such as music can be used to establish communication, relationships and understanding among people. It is important to note that some music can cause conflict and even war in some cases. The role of individuals at the grassroots is a key to achieving peacebuilding. There are different actors at the grassroot level, such as religious and community leaders, that enhance peacebuilding. Music also plays a significant role at the grass-roots level in increasing interactions and discussions in conflict affected communities. Furthermore, there is little or no research on analyzing the expression and role of music in the peacebuilding process in Michika LGA and this gap necessitated this research. This is particularly so with the Boko-Haram insurgency that hit Michika LGA in 2015. Understanding the role that music has played socially, economically and politically in various social strata will be instrumental to enhancing peace efforts in conflict areas around the world.
The study will deploy qualitative research method. Focused Group Discussions, Interviews and participant observation will be used to collect data. Primary and secondary sources will be used, also recording devices will be used to aid the data collection process.

The research designs used for this study are the descriptive survey and studio exploratory methods. This study is in two phases. The first phase is the theoretical aspect, while the second phase focuses on the studio practice (practical), which is the exploratory aspect. The qualitative study, the expository and descriptive research methods will be employed to demonstrate and produce patterns from Hausa folktales. The designs were seemingly visual abstraction over naturalistic representation. This is because, almost all the West African visual expressions, regardless of medium, represent objects or ideas rather than depict them. Even the portrait heads of Ile-Ife in Nigeria, usually thought of as naturalistic representations of rulers, have been smoothed and simplified to abstract and generalised stylistic norms.

Cultures in modern societies cannot be reduced to nationality or speech community. There is a continuous international influence through mass media. Yet, multinational companies use different labels for the same food products in different parts of the world. A closer look at food labelling will reveal layers of cultural, linguistic, legal and rhetorical elements that pose real problems for the translator. This study will focus on building a bidirectional parallel corpus on food labelling of multinational brands present in the UK, US, France, Canada and Ghana to examine the extent sociocultural factors affect translation strategies. It will also explore how transcreation is used as strategy in translating advertising elements and how the translation strategies that will be observed in the corpus compare with those proposed by translation scholars for handling translation difficulties.

Cultural institutions in Ghana contribute to the discourse on cultural sustainability using their activities and practices. They appear to rely on entrepreneurship approaches to driving cultural sustainability. Unfortunately, empirical research to ascertain entrepreneurship practices and their sustenance as they help in the achievement of cultural sustainability appears to have attracted limited research attention in Ghana. Studies by Adom (2017) and Osei (2020) contribute to the discourse on culture and sustainable development in the Ghanaian context but these studies do not capture the roles and sustenance of entrepreneurial activities and practices in cultural sustainability processes. If we agree that entrepreneurship drives sustainable development processes, then, it will be in place to explore how these entrepreneurial ideas could be sustained within cultural institutions in Ghana to best drive cultural sustainability. Since the entrepreneurial practices and activities used by cultural institutions to promote cultural sustainability are a relatively understudied phenomenon, the study will rely on the qualitative phenomenological approach to investigate, describe, and comprehend them. The study will employ participant observation, semi-structured interviews, archival documents and casual conversations to gather data from purposively chosen cultural institutions in Ghana.

Conflict is inevitable, and it abounds everywhere humans interact. The cause of conflict varies; it could be for geopolitical reasons or power, resulting in devastating conditions if not handled with caution. Ghana, branded as the second most peaceful country in Sub-Sahara Africa (Global Peace Index, 2022), is ironically confronted with pockets of chieftaincy conflicts such as the one in the Effutu Traditional area. The people of Efutu, in the central region of Ghana, are known for their annual Aboakyir (Deer hunting), Masquerade and the Akumase festivals. Conflicts occur during some of these festivals, and it is reported to affect the area’s development and further displace some community members. Although the government and other non-state actors have intervened to curtail the conflict, the outcomes have yet to be significant. This study explores film’s role as a cultural intervention tool to represent the conflict situation in the area. A short film will be co-created and co-produced based on the community members’ understanding. Specifically, A participant-led approach will be adopted to elucidate interventions for peaceful co-existence.

Ethics seeks to answer the basic question “how ought I to live?” Interrogating this question has resonated many theories and perspectives aimed at prescribing the right actions that are considered as having a moral content.The Akan ontology is conceived as pluralistic in nature. According to Gyekye (1995), the Akan ontology holds beliefs in the existence of many things as well as the belief that everything contains a spirit. This ontological perspective informs the conception of the Akan on the environment. Whilst there has been extant literature dealing with the religio-cultural perspective of the Akan on the environment, less attention has been paid to any philosophical interrogation specifically a normative ethical assessment about the cultural beliefs of the Akan on the environment. This study posits that moral considerations of the Akan beliefs on the environment is nominal in his contemporary relationship with the environment; however, a systematic ethics of the environment within normative positions will be ideal to eliciting a pragmatic approach to the environment.

Who are we? What do we want? How did we get here? These are the questions raised by eco critics in a bid to support the growing needs of nature. Man has held on to the wheels of invention through material acquisition and technological advancement to the detriment of nature and the field of performance practice is not exempted. At the nucleus of every dance performance is costume. Costumes are the storehouse of aesthetic appeals for dance performances and the environment has been the recourse for material acquisition.  Thus, the reliance on the environment to make costume accessories which require the extraction of precious minerals, poaching of animals and cutting down of trees; are the concerns of SDG 15– protect forest, land and biodiversity loss and 12–responsible consumption and production. Consequently, due to the abundance of waste, costume accessory makers at Kantamanto have resorted to rescuing objects for artistic explorations yet, the context within which these objects are created appears to be under-explored. Less attention has been paid to materials recovery than the processes of recovery. Therefore, this study seeks to explore sustainability in reusing tyres to make costume accessories within the context of dance performance by drawing inspiration from the tire reuse practices of Kantamanto costume accessory makers.

Dance is an art form that allows performers to assume identities that are different from their everyday persona and present these to an audience. Such identities can be purely imaginative, but they may, at times, also align with how performers truly feel about themselves. This is particularly so in the case of identities that undermine societal expectations and moral norms that can only be expressed in the liminal space of performance, for instance with deviant sexual identities that subvert established gender roles leading to hostility and the denigration of such people. Kojo Besia is an Akan nickname that translates as ‘man-woman”. It has over the years become a Ghanaian term used to describe effeminate men who are again assumed to be homosexual. Kete on the other hand is an Akan court dance that has its place in rites and rituals among the people who perform it.Beyond contributing more generally to the literature on gender expression and dance, this ethnographic study purposes to parse layers of meaning among male cross-dressers in Kete groups in the Central Region of Ghana, exploring their work culture and their self-perceptions.

Disenfranchisement means the right not to vote and be voted for. It also means the right not to be involved in governance. This right include both gender to participate in governance and political processes. Women are often not included in political participation and governance. This is because there are some cultural expectations of the woman in the society. The participation of women in governance and peacebuilding is very important. Women contribute in peacebuilding by mentoring, mediating, economic building, justice, guidance etc. The participation and inclusion of woman in Governance is a fulfilment of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong institutions), SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 ( Reduced Inequality) and SDG 11 ( Inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities). Women are expected to waiver their role in participation of governance in fulfillment of their cultural obligation. When we trace back to our Northern history, our traditional settings and practices, before the coming of ourcolonizers, women were involved in governmental practice, women held governmental positions and women also led. But with the coming of the so called “Development”, “Civilization”, Education and Religion, the  dynamics of culture change. Because culture itself changes from time to time due to the introduction of new factors, the perception and position of woman in the society also changed. Because of the change in culturedue to these factors, it changed the position and perception of woman in the society. She was downgraded and regarded  less in the society as her cultural obligation and success is tied to just marriage. Therefore, it is perceived in the society that when a woman is formally educated or exposed, she deviates from her cultural responsibility. But if she refuses to be exposed and adhere to just the responsibility of being a submissive wife, a good mother and the expectation of not to be seen and heard in the society, then she is perceived to be a well cultured person.

Among the Tiv people of Benue State, songs play an integral part to every day life. These songs are rendered on naming and marriage ceremonies, hunting and fishing contests, initiation, farming expeditions, funerals, and other traditionally recognized occasions in Tiv land. Songs play a pivotal role in conveying messages  which are emboldened to   educate, inform, entertain, teach moral lessons and a repository of historical account. Oral narrations states that, these songs stem from different sources, such as: natural endowments; through inheritance; while a Tiv traditional world view holds a belief that by drinking a special concoction made from a rare  Jiagba tree, may possess singing ability. To many, the art of singing songs and composing oral poetry comes accidentally, in forms of mock composition and ridicule which serves as social critic among Tiv people.

Storytelling is an ancient universal art form that gives breadth to stories that transcend borders, religion, gender, ethnicity, culture, time, and space, and they fill the hearts, minds, and souls of generations of human beings. Throughout time, and in all parts of the world, we find similar themes, plots, motifs, and characters recalibrated into different languages, settings, and spoken word styles. The glue of these stories consists of the basic needs, personality, and conditions of what it is to be human. As much as the story invites our tribal nature to embrace cultural identity within the social construct of our group, it also powerfully broadens our sensibilities to embrace and appreciate the oneness of all humankind. Storytelling is an antique and universal art form that is engaging, educational, and therapeutic. The function of storytelling is quickly being recognized as having transformative properties that can promote change in individuals, communities, and corporations. The term creative storytelling was coined to define storytelling that addresses human needs. This idea of storytelling serving humanity and being used for social change is not new, but it is fundamental to African storytelling, and it was an important function of the traditions in Nigeria.

Despite the changes in modern trends which threatens cultural sustainability of some Kanuri Practices, the Ka’aji has been sustained. However, there is a significant gap in literature as there is an inadequacy of any systematic research focusing on understanding why Ka’aji practice is thriving. The focus of this study is therefore, to understand the reasons rationale behind the sustainability of this practice. Understanding why Ka’aji practice is thriving will provide some Insight into how other Kanuri practices going into extinction can be sustained .The main objective of this study is to examine the Sustainability of Ka’aji (Traditional incense) among the Kanuri People: A Socio- Economic perspective.

The Hausa Home Video Industry is the largest film industry in Northern Nigeria and arguably the only one. It accommodates male and female actresses from across the nineteen (19) states in northern part of Nigeria and beyond. The major production and consumption hubs include Kano, Kaduna, Jos, and Maiduguri. The industry started since the 1980s and evolved to assume significant position in Northern part of Nigeria where millions of audiences consume the content. However, there have been concerns regarding the participation of women in the industry particularly with regards to talent hunt, misrepresentations of women, women’s roles in production, equal opportunities, and stereotyping personalities of women participants. Is this as a result of public perception towards women participation? This question is predicated on the assumption that public opinion about professions or career can influence career choices, career success, policies and decisions to accept and interact with people within such career. Inherent in such perception are cultural beliefs which are of interest to cultural sustainability studies.

The Idomas celebrate the revered “EjeAlekwu festival annually as well as other cultural festivities. This festival is a mark of their rich cultural heritage, cultural norms and customs. It brings about spiritual and religious benefits to the participants. It covers the various socio-cultural aspects of the life of Idoma people like marriages, seasonal farming yields, fishing, hunting, burial, the bestowal of honour and dignity upon individuals or group among others. This research intends to study the Eje-Alekwu festival to the sustainable development of Idoma land which cut across the Sustainable Development Goals number eleven; sustainable cities and communities and number five; gender equality.

Bansuwe dance is a cultural dance that is widely cherished by the Bura people of Northeast Nigeria, performed at weddings, funerals (of an aged person), naming ceremonies and other government functions such as Independence Day celebration or National Cultural Festivals. With the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria, it beats ones imagination to see people gather at such occasions. Despite the threat to life and property, the people still dance at weddings and other social events. The study focusses on the state of the Bansuwe dance performance generally amongst the Bura people and how the Bansuwe dance has thrived in this situation.

This research study targets the deepening of the culture of peace in insurgency affected Shuwari III community in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. It is common knowledge that insurgency has been on in Northeast Nigeria for about a decade now and concerted efforts have been on to contain the menace. The idea of this study is to establish from the people’s perspective, an understanding of their context and how interventions to deepen the culture of peace amongst them could be delivered.

In Northeast Nigeria it is especially visible that folktales and other cultural practices are fast declining and on the verge of extinction due to several factors such as the upsurge of insurgency attacks on local communities. This study seeks to explore the usage of indigenous features in creating animated cartoon characters on Kilba folktales, evaluate the animated prototype in the aspect of content, visual appeal and comprehension of the messages behind the tales, look at the present condition of the Kilba folktale practice in Northeast Nigeria and develop conceptual models and theoretical framework on the fusion of indigenous animated cartoons and folktales.

In the 21st century, research works on culture industries tend to focus on either the condition of reception or consumption and changing character of the structures of the industries.  Kannywood being a major stakeholder in the culture industry in Northern Nigeria has been consistent in the production of home videos. With emerging conflicts, the themes and storyline of home videos produced by Kannywood have largely changed.  Therefore, this study will emphasize the contributions of the culture industry through home videos to engender peacebuilding and conflict resolution in Northern Nigeria.

Literary texts set in the northern region of Nigeria, have barely received any critical exploration on the effects of environment on society because critics often approach their work with a narrow conception to the physical environment. Thus, neglecting the cultural dimension. Since it appears that the concern with the environment is a concern with the sustainability of Nigeria as a nation, and by extension the survival of humankind as a specie, it would be a setback to continue to neglect the literary representations of the cultural environment, especially the way and manner in which cohesion and harmony are represented in literary texts towards ensuring cultural sustainability. This study intends to fill this gap by examining the sustainability of the depictions of culture in Northern Nigerian literature.

The study seeks to gain more insights into the functions of the traditional music performances, while ascertaining the efficacy of sound-archiving in preserving this cultural heritage. Hawul L.G.A in Borno State, Nigeria, is known to have several traditional genres of music performances such that include instrumental and vocal compositions. Since Borno State falls within the conflict zone, there is the tendency that more of such music performances might be at the risk of oblivion and as such, the issue of sustainability of music as an intangible cultural heritage for the retention of originality of cultural elements and rejecting multiculturalism requires scholarly intervention.

In creating a conducive habitation for mankind, nature is often destroyed. During theatre performances, set designers have not explored much with materials outside of the defined conventions of set designing and building. It is under this aegis that this research project thrives to explore the alternative of using waste materials as main resources for set designing and construction instead of wood, through the adaptation of the concept of biomimicry for the designing and its implementation, while reducing the creation of waste in the process.

Employing the democratic (public sphere/discursive) theory, this research seeks to investigate the role of popular musicians in the democratic process of the 4th Republic of Ghana. It is also to study the use of music as an important instrument or medium for socio-political commentary and for the building and sustenance of peace. The work shall finally focus on the works, activities and performances of selected popular Ghanaian musicians from the 1990s till present and how they have contributed to shaping the politics and democratic conversations in Ghana.

The research seeks to find out the elements of persuasion present in the speech of the Okyeame during traditional court proceedings. It tries to reveal the missing content of traditional protocol to be observed due to the current trends in modern communication such as the use of mobile phones for communication and also seeks to find out the position of the Okyeame despite being the mouthpiece of the Chief; the persuasive content in his speeches and the possible interference in communication due to modern trends of communication.

Ghana has experienced and still experiences ethnic and chieftaincy conflicts which have defied resolutions and have become protracted and resulted in the destruction of property, displacing people and leading to loss of human lives. Culture matters in processes adopted to resolve conflicts and this can be best achieved through a contextual culturally informed conflict transformation. This study sets out to explore how culture and arts can be used in transforming violent, destructive conflicts and leading to peace and peaceful co-existence among the combatants.

National laws in many African countries do not regard marital rape as a crime. When criminal law exempts marital rape from sanction, the prejudice idea of making women inferior is legally endorsed and they are left vulnerable to other experiences of discrimination. The study seeks to answer, how the concept of marital rape in Ghana has evolve through time, if victims of marital rape face legal and/or cultural objections and if effective and efficient support systems for victims exist.

The mechanism in policy formulation and policy changes in the Republic of Benin remains the work of a small group of experts and government officials rather than a concrete result of social dialogue, participatory action and the protection of the access to cultural participation. Therefore, this doctoral research project aims to conduct an evidence-based assessment of current cultural policy strategies in West African countries in order to provide an innovative, structural and participatory policy design approach to support sustainable systems of governance for culture in Benin.

Among the Kanuris in Borno, male circumcision is practiced primarily as an initiation ritual (rite of passage) into adulthood for young boys of the same age group. While the ritual has undergone certain changes over the years, it is conducted under non-clinical settings and overseen by traditional practitioners, hence the term traditional/cultural circumcision as distinct from medical/clinical circumcision.

The Shuwa Arabs of Borno State practice Female circumcision as part of their cultural identity which is considered to promote the dignity of the woman and protect her from cultural taboos. However, in the light of international concern on the practice of Female circumcision or female genital mutilation (FGM) as a violation of the right of the girl child and its health implications, the question arises on the sustainability of this practice among the Shuwa Arabs of Northeast Nigeria.

In the Kamwe community of Michika Local Government Area (LGA), caste system does exist as the race is broadly classified into ‘Melie and Ka-ligyi’. The Melie people are the farmers while the Ka-Ligyi are the blacksmiths.  The Ka-Ligyi’s seems to play some important roles in the community. They engage in activities which includes calabash decoration, playing music at wedding ceremonies, festivals, digging graves, washing dead bodies, carving of sculptures for religious purposes and the creation of weapons. But marriage cannot take place between the Melie and the Ka-ligyi i.e.
Despite the roles the Ka-ligyi’s seems to play in the community, they are considered to be at the bottom of the caste and treated as second class citizens of the land. This study seeks to look into the reasons why the Ka-ligyi from the cultural perspective of the Kamwe people are at the bottom of the caste system.

Over the last decade peacebuilding and conflict resolution in Borno State has been largely dependent on the conventional methods or approach with little or no input from the sociocultural dimension as it relates to the initiatives of the indigenous people. Contemporary research and theories of conflict analysis and peacebuilding have focused primarily on political and economic perspectives or approaches to peacebuilding. The study therefore sought to investigate the extent to which socio-cultural approach is used in post-insurgency peacebuilding among the Kanuri people in Borno State, Nigeria.

In Nigeria, traditional household sex roles appear to have stayed the same in the great majority of families. Women in rural areas have limited access to legal systems to challenge and end this discrimination and inequality. Illiteracy and isolation may exclude women from practical enforcement of rights available to them in theory. Traditional attitudes of patriarchal society, which may be shared by male judges who see themselves as protectors of social tradition and stability, may equally hamper women’s progress in this area.

The Igede Agba (New Yam Festival)  is one of those famously celebrated festival among the Igede people which serves to showcase their culture, traditions and customs. This cultural festival which is practiced by the Igede people of Benue state in Nigeria have to a great extent helped to preserve the cultures and traditions of the Igede people since their migration and settlement in the Benue region in the 17th century. This research therefore is stimulated by the necessity to carefully dig into the changes and continuous practice of the Igede Agba cultural practices and to essentially to probe whether the change is gradually rooting out the continuity of this cultural heritage.

Alumni

Some years back, the Onyimuruwe genre of Ichekene songs and chants witnessed a decline because of challenges faced by some of its practitioners. An assessment of the forms of the songs will highlight possible areas that can help reactivate and sustain the ages-long tradition in the society. This study seeks to analyse the nature of Ichekene-onyimuruwe songs and chants, the reasons of the decline in women’s participation and how the genre can be sustained.

The aim of this study is to assess the role of traditional rulers in reconciliation and peace-building among communities affected by Boko Haram, especially in Borno State. Emirs and chiefs of various designations practice their indigenous cultures amicably in resolving and managing conflicts within and between their domains. However, traditional rulers’ lack of any constitutional power relegates them to only advisory roles at the state and national levels, even though they do have some strength at local levels.

The study tends to assess the role of women in sustenance of moral values as cultural practices that will be used as a strategy for fighting Boko Haram insurgency in Maiduguri Borno State Nigeria. The significance of understanding culture in the context of the violence in Maiduguri Borno State cannot be overemphasized. The study on the roles of women in sustenance of moral cultural practices as a strategy for fighting Boko Haram insurgency will cover the roles of women in sustenance of respect for religious/spiritual institutions, as well as tolerance and respect for others as a strategy of fighting the Boko Haram insurgency.

This study is born out of the near extinction of Okute Festival in Ode-Aye community. It is generally believed that a loss of cultural practices results in loss of identity. The study intends to find out the history of the Okute Festival within the Ode-Aye community, to look at its performative nature and content, to find out its significance and relevance to the Ode-Aye community, and to look at the practice conflicts and communal responses and document the changes that have occurred to the performance of the Festival for posterity.

Applied Theatre: Towards Sustainable Socio-Cultural Reconciliation and Healing between Christian and Muslim Communities in Jos Metropolis

By Aliyu Yakubu Abdulkadir

The study is motivated by the view that theatre can be applied to conflict situations, and the dramatic functions of education, entertainment, information and correction jointly serve to mixed religious audiences in an atmosphere of amicability and affabilty to spur memory about a harmonious past and induce attitudinal change towards transformation. The main question is how applied theatre can serve as a vehicle for bringing about socio-cultural reconciliation and healing between Christian and Muslim communities in Jos.

In the northeastern part of Nigeria, statistics show that girls and women are not given adequate priority in the social scheme of things largely due to cultural and religious norms, because they are viewed as lesser than their male counterparts. This research will shed light on an area through which women can receive help beyond the physical relief materials through forms of reintegration into society, and provide a platform whereby they can heal and thrive as well. In addition, this research will address the psycho-social trauma experienced by these women as it affects their sense of self-confidence, which is predominant in the northern part of Nigeria due to religious beliefs and cultural norms.

This research intends to deploy visual representation as a medium for promoting peace and harmony amongst internally displaced persons in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.

Although visual representations have been used in different contexts to get information across to people, such as the dangers of HIV/AIDS, the dangers of smoking, drinking while driving, etc., research has not been done on the use of visual representations using cultural cues to promote peace and harmony in insurgency affected areas.

The proposed research seeks to identify the cultural heritage of IDPs in northeast Nigeria with a view to investigating the changes that have occurred to them as a result of migration and displacement. It will serve to document and preserve the initial cultural makeup and the resulting changes for cultural sustainability.

Contemporary law in Cameroon, which offers more gender equality, is supposed to take precedence over customary law, but the importance attached to traditions is so strong that customary law almost always triumphs. With the preliminary observation that gender perceptions in Kom lay the foundation for a conflicting interplay that seriously affects the full development of women and girls, this research intends to come out with a model for conflict prevention and resolution that could be used to improve social cohesion and gender balance in the community.

The study, “Cultural Performances, Healing and Reintegration of Victims of Farmers-Herders Conflict in Central Nigeria: A Study of Daudu Community”, is informed by the overall idea to build peaceful communities for inclusive sustainable development as encapsulated in No. 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals, 2015. This is coupled with the near absence of empirical evidence in Nigeria on the potentialities of the Arts as a veritable tool for conflict transformation and peacebuilding.

My research developed out of experiences in northeastern Nigeria where Boko Haram Insurgents displace millions of people and force them to live with host communities. After the significant military successes against the insurgents, the focus of government, Non-Governmental Organizations, community leaders, academicians and the general public is shifting to resettlement and rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons.

The main objective of this study is to assess critically the roles and impact of the Civilian Joint Task Force in supporting the military to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State, Nigeria. The activities of Boko Haram, in its wake threatened to erode the age-long cultural heritage of the Northeast region. It uprooted villages and heaved them in cities and settlements not familiar to them.

This study accounts for the continued relevance of the Queen Mother institution in traditional, as well as modern, governance in Ghana.It interrogates popular perceptions regarding the engagement of citizenry with traditional institutions such as the Queen Mothers’ Court and how such perceptions could help with understanding the legitimacy and authority of the institution.

With the sustainable development goals, one seeks to end poverty in all forms. This goal can be achieved by targeting vulnerable groups in which teenage mothers are not exceptions. The occurrence and related consequences associated with teenage motherhood in developing nations have remained challenging. The two dominant factors that cause teenage motherhood are culture and poverty.

There is a growing recognition of the contributions of the creative economy (CE) to finding creative solutions to global challenges related to environment, education, health, social cohesion and ultimately sustainable development. In low income countries where the CE is amorphous and largely informal, a strong connective tissue of knowledge and practical information between the CE and higher education institutions can be a powerful enabler of sustainable development. The main aim of this study will be to explore critical issues regarding the evolution and nature of organic models of interdependence between HEIs and the CE.

Wellbeing and resilience emanating from conflicts is a topical issue that needs to be addressed in research in Ghana. Ghana, although by and large has been labeled as a peaceful country, suffer mostly from so called “chieftaincy conflicts” and “land conflicts”. Most often, land conflicts are the result of two ethnic groups disagreeing on the rightful owner of a parcel of land.

In this study, I seek to analyse the complex relationships and interactions between culture, economic, social, environmental and political engagements and the forces behind the commercialization and culturalization of the performing arts for its sustainability. For the performing arts and cultural organizations in general to thrive, quality arts management issues need to be addressed.

This study seeks to employ a spatial model and ethnographic approach to assess the relationship between land cover change and the culture of the Ga-Dangmes in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The Greater Accra Region has the second largest population in Ghana with the most extensive physical alteration and degradation of natural land covers.

The study intends to assess the effect of insurgency on education, peaceful coexistence and customs and values of IDPs with the aim of realizing the extent at which their traditions have been destroyed, the consequences insurgency has on their peaceful coexistence and the degree to which education is affected. All of these are geared towards ensuring peace as well as attaining cultural sustainability.

The study is on the effect of insurgency on National Declared Monument at Rabeh’s Fort and Sukur Cultural Landscape located at the Mandara Mountains which straddle the Nigerian and Cameroonian border in northeastern Nigeria. It is looking at atrocities done by insurgents [Boko Haram] on the National Monuments that brought about declivity of the cultural heritage in the areas where the exact declared monument and site are located. Furthermore, this research gives a general overview of the history of the monument and site. Over time, it has been degraded as a result of the negative activities of insurgents (Boko Haram). The researcher will observe the effect of the insurgents, which will prove the level of damage. This work increases our understanding of such sensitive topics.

The upsurge of insurgency in Borno State has resulted to millions of people being internally displaced. There has been a loss of lives and properties worth millions of Naira; schools and business activities have been seriously jeopardized; and human activities are in danger. Consequently as a result of insurgency, many internally displaced person camps were set up by the government to accommodate thousands of people from different communities, and ethnic and socio-cultural backgrounds.

My research will evaluate what the Internally displaced persons (IDP) have lost in terms of their material cultural and what they were able to salvage of their tangible culture as a result of the insurgency. Boko haram has engaged in an insurgency that has led to the displacement of over 2 million people from their towns and villages with over twenty thousand people killed. As a result, the cultural heritage of the people displaced from their homes and communities has suffered destruction, which has affected their lives and properties, as they have been completely alienated from their culture, which is a vital component of everyday survival and civilization.

The research will undertake a thorough investigation of the impact of insurgency on socio-economic development and democracy, which have brought the southeast Niger to a standstill. Also, the study envisages to autopsy the leadership laxity, political ostracism and marginalization, which exacerbated the radicalization of the Boko Haram movement.

The research wants to question to what extent pidgin English language users were being deprived of education equality as stipulated by the UN conventional goals in the rural areas, where standard English is rarely used. This is part of the way to ascertain the potential of pidgin English language for more educational equalitarian of its prospects by the users. The struggles in so many schools in Nigeria, Ghana and many other west African countries are the issues of dropping out of school. This and more issues are not due to financial reason of some parents alone. Various barriers which propagate this, are mainly based on some disability not physical or monetary barriers, but the issues mostly caused by the first encounter period see (P. E. H. Hair, 1997). They later serve as colonizer of all official English speaking countries in Africa particularly in the western part of the continent. Here decision makers decided to use English language as the only option for educational language for all schools in this region.

GLOBAL MUSIC – LOCAL VALUE
Power differentials in international artistic relations
with the example of the urban music scenes in Accra, Nairobi and Berlin

Christoph Matenaers

The aim is to show the potentials that music can bring forth, and to shed light on the social and geopolitical discourses in which an encounter in a global world is always involved. What values are created by music? How does music change or influence society? What is the social role of an Artist? What inspiration do we get out of music scenes for building communities? How can the situation for artists be sustainably improved? What is the concrete power gap in international artistic work relations? I want to examine the international power relations, but also the local power relations. How should the post-colonial music market in the North-South relationship change (sustainably) for the artists?

Research Questions:
What are the characteristics of contemporary theatre in Ghana? Does theatre in the countryside has another function than theatre in the capital city? Which position have women in theatre?
How can the relation between theatre and women in Ghana become part of sustainable development?
How can strategies for cultural policy be developed to secure a sustainable effect for women and theatre in Ghana?