Papers by Epochi-Olise E T U W E Ruth
Contemporary Journal of African Studies, 2021
Pan-Africanism is an ideology which emphasizes the brotherhood of the black people wherever they ... more Pan-Africanism is an ideology which emphasizes the brotherhood of the black people wherever they are. Its advancement is everyone’s affair whether male or female, within Africa and the Diaspora. Pan-Africanism has moved from the level of black liberation and struggle for political power to social, economic, and political emancipation, which has positively ignited the desire in some African women to actualize ‘self’ and contribute to nation building in spite of being confined to “the other room”. The premise of the “other room” was ignited by a statement made by the President of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari that: “... but she [his wife] belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room”. This paper sets out to lay bare the principles and relationship of Pan-Africanism and Womanism. The paper further advocates that women in spite of being suppressed are bursting forth; challenging patriarchal roles, which most times impede their growth and development in the society. ...
EJOTMAS: Ekpoma Journal of Theatre and Media Arts, 2022
Forced migration is generally inimical to mankind but particularly hazardous to women. However, t... more Forced migration is generally inimical to mankind but particularly hazardous to women. However, these hazardous acts which make women vulnerable are hardly considered as substantial enough to warrant an outcry against the migration phenomenon. Women face major challenges resulting from forced migrations, which expose them to violence, rape and other anti-social behaviours imposed on them by the circumstances. All these tend to have significant impacts on their social, economic, cultural and environmental development. This paper, therefore, uses Cole’s Embers to critically interrogate the issues of forced migration as a gendered problem. This work shall expose the claims that the problem of forced migration is an offshoot of the opportunistic post-colonial Nigerian rulers who have assisted to change the narratives of the family structure and peaceful order of society to a chaotic world. The paper focuses on the IDP Camps that are highly fuelled by corruption and the challenges for...
EJOTMAS: Ekpoma Journal of Theatre and Media Arts, 1970
Language is the most essential feature of any work of art, which is necessary for the communicati... more Language is the most essential feature of any work of art, which is necessary for the communication of meaning. Language could come in different forms: oral, written, sign and material. Whatever form it takes, it helps in the continual promotion and reconstruction of sociocultural identity. Using Afolayan's The Figurine (Araromire) as a point of reference, this article examines the place and implications of multilingualism, and the socio-cultural impact on Nigerians, and Africans at large. It also examines how the various forms of language can aid the shaping of the cultural identity of the people towards the preservation of valued culture for the present and future generations. Lastly, the article suggests that Nigerian films and filmmakers/producers should be seen and employed as cultural ambassadors of Nigeria to the outside world.Keywords: Language, Multilingualism, The Figurine, Cultural ambassadors, Filmmakers
Journal of Cultural and Creative Industries
This article examines the mediatization of the aesthetic dynamics or dimensions in the masquerade... more This article examines the mediatization of the aesthetic dynamics or dimensions in the masquerade performances of the Ndokwa people in Delta State, Nigeria. Masquerade performances and carnivals are spectacular indigenous theatrical activities or forms that involve the impersonation of fictive characters by costumed performers in Nigeria and across Africa. These art forms share similar elements that make them culturally significant in terms of creativity and social commentary. The Ndokwa masquerade performances during festive celebrations have been on for over two decades but have virtually not been given the deserved publicity to project them as fine tourist events. Deploying Etop Akwang’s “Medialization” model, this study uses historical-analytic, key informant interview (KII) and direct observation to consider the uniqueness of the Ndokwa masquerade performance. It holds that the masquerade performance is a valuable cultural product that combines the characteristics of carnivals...
Language is the most essential feature of any work of art, which is necessary for the communicati... more Language is the most essential feature of any work of art, which is necessary for the communication of meaning. Language could come in different forms: oral, written, sign and material. Whatever form it takes, it helps in the continual promotion and reconstruction of socio-cultural identity. Using Afolayan's The Figurine (Araromire) as a point of reference, this article examines the place and implications of multilingualism, and the sociocultural impact on Nigerians, and Africans at large. It also examines how the various forms of language can aid the shaping of the cultural identity of the people towards the preservation of valued culture for the present and future generations. Lastly, the article suggests that Nigerian films and filmmakers/producers should be seen and employed as cultural ambassadors of Nigeria to the outside world.
Change is dynamic; it is ever occurring in any given circumstance. It explains the popular saying... more Change is dynamic; it is ever occurring in any given circumstance. It explains the popular saying that, 'there is nothing that is permanent in life except change'. However, change is positive when it is progressive; and negative when it is retrogressive. Over the years, Nigeria, as a country, has been in search of credible, dependable, focused and result-oriented leadership. This explains the need for regular intellectual discourses on the leadership question that the country has been grappling with. There is no arguing the fact that, no matter the personal, educational, psychological, economic, religious and cultural background of a leader, the constitution of his/her power base will have determinate effect on his/her approach to leadership. This is because leadership is all about using people to achieve predetermined group objectives. In fact, the contemporary Nigerian film industry, Nollywood, has become a veritable platform to interrogate the leadership question in Nigeria. Consequently, this study examines Jeta Amata's Black November, a film that portrays a volatile community in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria ravaged by crude oil exploration and exploitation activities of a multinational oil company. The people fight against the evil machinations of corrupt government and oil company officials that collude to impoverish them. The submission is that only transparency in the policy actions of leaders, at all levels of governance, will mitigate incessant youth restiveness in oil producing communities. Furthermore, the film medium remains a viable option in managing change in Nigeria's search for credible political leadership. About the Film, Black November Written, directed and co-produced by Jeta Amata, Black November opens in Warri, in the oil rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria, where a gallow is being prepared for the execution of a young female activist, Ebiere Perema (Mfong Amata). The scene changes to Los Angeles, California, USA, where in a Gestapolike operation, members of the United Front for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta People of Nigeria, led by Tamuno (Enyinna Nwigwe), cause mayhem, taking Tom Hudson, the Managing Director/CEO of Western Oil, a multinational oil company in the Niger Delta (Mickey Rourke, with Mark Kubr as his Stunt Double), and other innocent persons, hostage. Their demand is the unconditional release of Ebiere, who had led the struggle. They are told point blank that the United States Government does not negotiate with terrorists. There is a flashback, which gives the background of the plight of oil producing communities in the Niger Delta. They produce the crude oil that feeds the entire nation; but they live in abject penury; they hardly see any government presence; but they suffer the hazards associated with oil exploration and exploitationgas faring, oil pollution, oil spillage, neglect by oil multi-nationals, exploitation by local chiefs, and so on. An unfortunate oil spillage occurs and gullible villagers scramble to scoop the fuel not minding the dangers or likely fuel explosion. The Police try to intervene but to no avail. As it is to be expected, there is a devastating gas medium remains a viable option in managing change in Nigeria's perennial search for credible leadership; and Jeta Amata's Black November is a veritable contribution in that direction.
Terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001 and subsequent attacks on Pentago... more Terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre on 11 September 2001 and subsequent attacks on Pentagon and threats for more attacks on United State soil made it painfully clear, even to an uninformed observer that we have entered a period of history; where states authorities can be confronted in anarchical ways. In Nigeria on 20 February, 2009, a disagreement between a convoy of Yusuffiya sect and local police turned violent in Northeastern state of Maiduguri leading to the birth of the dreaded terrorist group known as Boko Haram. This scenario challenged the global community and state actors to declare war on terrorism and come up with counter-terrorism initiatives. What is terrorism? What scenarios can result to terrorist acts? This investigation is grounded on qualitative methodology of literary criticism of the play text: Esiaba Irobi's Hangmen Also Die and Osita Ezenwanebe's Giddy Festival. It is also built on Marxist conflict theory of social strata. It can be established that the best form of counter-terrorism is for leaders to disengage themselves from actions that can lead to terrorism. Jewish Zealots assassinated enemies in their struggle against the Roman Empire, Assassins killed crusaders in the Holy Land, in 1605 Guy Fawkes nearly destroyed the British Parliament, and anarchists have assassinated various highranking officials and heads of states (153). The terror act of 11 th September, 2001 at the World Trade Centre in New York and subsequent attack in Washington though not the first act of terrorism on record, shows that non state perpetrators motivated by religion can use violence to pursue their goals. It is important to note that these sects can transform to other movement with the same ideology to carry out the act of violence in order to instil fair on their targets. The
Osofisan's creativity and inventiveness makes him standout among African writers. He innovatively... more Osofisan's creativity and inventiveness makes him standout among African writers. He innovatively adapts foreign plays to suit the socio-cultural and socio-political milieu of his society. Looking at Euripides' The Trojan Women written in 415BC, the lamentation of the women of Troy grieving for their husbands and children and the destruction of the homes and debased dignity, is presently resonated in Women of Owu and in extension the modern victims (especially women) of war, terrorism, insurgency and inter/intra-ethnic clashes. This paper, therefore, aims to examine the reasons for these oppressive acts and the effects on women. The paper also identity the allusions found in Women of Owu and finally highlighst the costs and consequences of the changes during and after war time.
Forced migration is generally inimical to mankind but particularly hazardous to women. However, t... more Forced migration is generally inimical to mankind but particularly hazardous to women. However, these hazardous acts which make women vulnerable are hardly considered as substantial enough to warrant an outcry against the migration phenomenon. Women face major challenges resulting from forced migrations, which expose them to violence, rape and other antisocial behaviours imposed on them by the circumstances. All these tend to have significant impacts on their social, economic, cultural and environmental development. This paper, therefore, uses Cole's Embers to critically interrogate the issues of forced migration as a gendered problem. This work shall expose the claims that the problem of forced migration is an offshoot of the opportunistic post-colonial Nigerian rulers who have assisted to change the narratives of the family structure and peaceful order of society to a chaotic world. The paper focuses on the IDP Camps that are highly fuelled by corruption and the challenges for womanhood.
conspiracy videos, and growing distrust of experts in favor of populist orators. De Vaulx finds i... more conspiracy videos, and growing distrust of experts in favor of populist orators. De Vaulx finds in the film a sobering warning. Ramtin Ebrahimi's "Broken and Defeated: Abortion and the Patriarchal Order in Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" deems Mungiu's realistic depiction of women being underpowered by Romania's abortion ban a powerful example of the critique contained in Romanian New Wave Cinema. In "Locating Contemporary Māori Masculinity in Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople," Harriet Fairclough points out that Waititi celebrates the bi-culturalism of New Zealand via comedy and a transformative journey through the bush in his box-office hit. Sergio Schargelis "A Satire on Fascism: A Review of Look Who's Back" argues that Look Who's Back is essential for realizing that fascism did not die in 1945. More than an attack on fascism, Schargelis finds the film's criticism that our memory of fascism hinders its contemporary identification compelling. No issue of the quint can be complete without its creative component. We are delighted to present a significant portion of taut and beautifully crafted of travel poems by Amy Lilwall and Rupert Loydell's in their prose poem gazatteer,, WHEN WE WERE THERE. The first half of this stunning sequence of post cards will be available in Axon: Creative Explorations, Australia/online, later in 2022. Acknowledging the coming of Spring in the North, I offer you images that record snowbound and gritty, ice-breaking rivers in Northern Manitoba. The softness of Spring is yet to come. As the North continues in another wave of the pandemic, here is good reading. the quint returns in June, with more reading, in anticipation of warmer and healthier days ahead. Sue Matheson in peace building before discussing the activity of peacekeeping via the instruments of law and religion in Nigeria. Then, Patricia Ngozi Anyanwu and Chinomso Patricia Dozie's "Leadership Crisis and Migration in Nigeria: A Study of Chimamanda Adichie's "The Thing around Your Neck" and "The American Embassy" addresses the recent mass flight of Nigerians to the United States of America by interrogating its causes, challenges, and prospects depicted in Chimamanda Adichie's short stories, "The Thing around Your Neck" and "The American Embassy." Following, Michael Nnabundo Nwabuzor's "From Street to Internet: A Textual Analysis of Political Protests on Facebook among Nigerian Social Media Users" finds social media following the technological revolution that gave birth to web 2.0 has added a new dimension to political protests in Nigeria. Nigerians are using Facebook to distribute information about political protests. Nwabuzor recommends that further studies of other social media platforms and examinations of participants' demographics influencing political protest posts on Facebook be initiated. Completing the offerings of this issue's articles, Okechukwu Chukwuma's "Using the Online Space as a Battle Field: An Exploration of the Effectiveness of Social Media Usage for the #EndSARS Protest in Nigeria" also discusses how social media platforms have redefined citizens' engagement with government and those in positions of authority. Using the #EndSARS protest in Nigeria, an organized social movement against police brutality, as an example, Chukiwuma finds in some States, the protest went beyond calling for ending police brutality to ending bad governance on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and in blogs. Film and book reviews are also housed in this issue. Jean-Baptiste de Vaulx's film review, "Perception, the Past and Free Indirect Discourse in László Nemes' Sunset" contends that Sunset mirrors our own contested media landscape of fake news, viral the quint : an interdisciplinary quarterly from the north 13
As the year draws to a close, one is just reminded how Covid-19 has been (and continues to be) so... more As the year draws to a close, one is just reminded how Covid-19 has been (and continues to be) so destructive of lives and livelihoods in the Commonwealth and beyond. The partial or full closure of universities and colleges has impacted on students and staff in all countries, not least in the pain, suffering and death of the many. In a short time, several fellow staff and students became a part of grim statistics of victims of the virus. While this suffering was not unique to universities, they have a special role in fighting the virus and in building back better after the pandemic is beaten. They have a role to memorialise the innocent victims as well as frontline warrior men and women who died and/or suffered during the current pandemic, but also in the pandemics before in Africa and elsewhere. What can the universities do in practice? Morally and commercially, it is the payback time for universities for the funding and, more crucially, for the trust that the ordinary citizens who pay direct and indirect taxes have placed in institutions and individuals who populate them. Universities could join the global fight against the virus by conducting scientific research to find ways of controlling the transmission and, in equal measure, to join the global efforts to find vaccines. They could plan for the future and help the communities, countries and continents to recover and build better the social fabric (especially on gender) and economic infrastructure (especially on education) that has been devastated by the disruptions caused by the pandemic. Universities could conduct research and take follow up action, make systems of learning more efficient and (re)discover the structures of the collective articulated in traditional or modern forms of entertainment, and through satire and reflection that literature can offer, validate rational and the critical narratives that alone can vaccinate communities against the pandemic of mis-information and fake news that are Covid-19's friends and fellow travellers. While Covid-19 represents the here and now of a problem since 2020, a long-time problem that is getting worse by the day is climate change. The year 2020 has exposed the many faultlines of vulnerability and marginality of different groups within countries, but also between countries and, thus, the need for sustainable development both locally and globally. The current issue of the journal carries less articles than usual, partly due to the disruptions caused by the Carona virus. However, the articles, written prior to the pandemic, provide signposts that are generic and could be helpful to the readers not only to see what was missed in 2020, but also to see what could be done to build back better through critical analysis of different facets of two areas-social cohesion through the Arts and Performance, and Language and Communication. We welcome active engagement with the issues highlighted in the current volume of the journal.
Pan-Africanism is an ideology which emphasizes the brotherhood of the black people wherever they ... more Pan-Africanism is an ideology which emphasizes the brotherhood of the black people wherever they are. Its advancement is everyone's affair whether male or female, within Africa and the Diaspora. Pan-Africanism has moved from the level of black liberation and struggle for political power to social, economic, and political emancipation, which has positively ignited the desire in some African women to actualize 'self' and contribute to nation building in spite of being confined to "the other room". The premise of the "other room" was ignited by a statement made by the President of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari that: "... but she [his wife] belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room". This paper sets out to lay bare the principles and relationship of Pan-Africanism and Womanism. The paper further advocates that women in spite of being suppressed are bursting forth; challenging patriarchal roles, which most times impede their growth and development in the society. The paper concludes that women's emancipation, gender equality and women's empowerment are at the heart of the question of humanity itself and are thus universal in character and asserting their place in the global community is fundamental.
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Papers by Epochi-Olise E T U W E Ruth