1,720,963 research outputs found
A Critical Analysis of the Representation of Women’s Health Conditions in (Yorùbá) Nollywood Films and its Implications.
Get PDF Literature, through any of its genres, is a reflection of the sociology of the people where it has its sources. It highlights among other things, their beliefs, hopes, aspirations, development and relationships. The film, which is currently the popular theatre among the (African) Yoruba of the South-West Nigeria, is the literary genre through which this study critically examined the implications of the portrayal of female gynecological, physiological and mental health conditions. This was achieved by criticizing selected films whose major and minor themes are gynocentric. The female among the (patriarchal) Yoruba, is seen and related to as a second fiddle, the OTHER; whose existence is basically for procreation and the general well-being of her home, especially that of her husband. This cultural pattern, though in lesser magnitude now than it used to be in the past, permeates the entire aspects of the living of a Yoruba female, including the very important issue of her health. ‘Health’ meant here, is not merely the absence of diseases, but a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being. It has been observed that there is a close relationship between patterns of ill-health and social class, gender and race. Apart from this, (cultural) living conditions are very basic in contracting and combating ill-health. Our theoretical framework is therefore hinged on Parsons’ (2008) functionalists’ perspectives on health, to the effect that when people are sick, they are unable to perform their social roles and this hinders society’s functioning. The study concludes that the (African) Yoruba populace needs re-orientation and conscious efforts towards a change in patrifocal cultural patterns. The Nigerian government must put in place health schemes that have positive considerations for women’s health; for the hands that rock the cradle rules the world.
Keywords: The YoruÌ€baÌ, Women, Sociology, Health, Re-orientatio
Voice Lending in the Aesthetics of Yoruba Films: An Examination of the Track Music in Egbogi Oloro
No full textTracing the historical development of the film as a literary genre shows that sound, which initially was absent in its production, has come to stay as a means of synchronizing and complementing pictorial actions; such that the attention of the viewer is fully attracted.More details can be found in the full paper
THE REALITY AND NON-PECULIARITY OF THE YORUBA\u27S BELIEF IN REINCARNATION: AYE KEJI EXEMPLIFIED
Get PDFEveryone knows that death is the inevitable end of man. What plagues the mind of many, consciously or otherwise, is the question of what happens to man when he breaths his last breath. While some are of the opinion that after death comes judgment; a determinant of whether one goes to eternal blissful domains, or into everlasting torment; depending on whether he had lived piously or otherwise, while on earth. Another school of thought opines that the soul of the dead will reincarnate by taking abode in a new physical body, born as a new baby and live another normal life, whereby he/she has the opportunity to correct his/her wrong actions in the previous incarnation. While some are of the opinion that when the soul has gathered wisdom, knowledge and understanding through several incarnations, it becomes one with the creator; others believe that reincarnation is a continuous process without neither a beginning nor an ending. The Yoruba of South-Western Nigeria, like most other Africans, believes that humans reincarnate in order to re-choose their destiny and fulfill their life ambitions which they had no chance to achieve in a previous incarnation. An examination ofd some Yoruba traditional songs about death and what follows, show that the believe in a day of reckoning‟ and the continuum of the life cycle. Reincarnation, generally speaking, is always thought of, and discussed as a religious phenomenon, most probably because it borders on the super-natural; an issue to which only God; the creative force, has the totally correct answer. My bid in this study is to establish through self-confessed persons that reincarnation is a reality, as against Majeed\u27s (2012) summation that reincarnation as a phenomenon “serves the need of personality identity and as such, it is irrational”. Aside from that, this study examines and concludes that the acceptance of the reality of reincarnation is not peculiar to the Traditional Religion of the (African) Yoruba, it is a common nexus in other faiths, unlike what obtains in Christianity and Islam; the two officially recognized (foreign) religions in Nigeria. My exemplifications from Aye Keji (the other world) a particularly selected Hollywood film, is as a result of its direct relativity to the issue of this study, which is pivoted around African indigenous thought system and philosophy
The Effects of Religion and Poverty on Nigeria’s Development as Portrayed in Yoruba Written Plays
Get PDFNigeria has the resources to be among the affluent and developed nations of the world, wherein her citizens could have the basic needs of life and can individually contribute to the development of the nation without exclusion. This is however not the case; Nigeria is fast becoming one of the poorest countries in the world as 45% of her population live below poverty level - on less than a dollar daily. The literary world is a reflective one, where the image of experiences and occurrences are reflected fictitiously or otherwise. Ethnographically, literature also documents the experiences of a group of people at different times, showing their hopes, aspirations, fears, agitations, socio-economic and religio-political development. The (present) economic condition that is prevalent in Nigeria should be of immense concern to all, the literary artists being no exception. Our focus in this paper therefore, is to examine the extent to which Yorùbá playwrights have portrayed poverty as an endemic issue that is preventing individual and national development, especially in the light of the fact that the Yorùbá are in all things religious. We found out among other things, that misrepresentation and misinterpretations of what qualifies a (Yorùbá) person for Paradise as a Christian, is an important bane of the poor in taking the right steps toward rejecting poverty. This is apart from the non-provision of the basic needs of life by the state, in order to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Our suggestion is that empowerment through poverty alleviation programmes by concerned individuals, corporate bodies and the state particularly, will go a long way in coming to the aid of the poor. This is because unless the poor, who could have become poor by his ineptitude or by the prevalent government policies, is catered for, the average and rich persons cannot live their lives peacefully and to the fullest, without disturbance in one form or the other from the poor with their characteristic traits and vices.
Keywords: Absolute Poverty, Culture, Religion, Social Exclusion, Empowerment
THE REALITY AND NON-PECULIARITY OF THE YORUBA'S BELIEF IN REINCARNATION: AYE KEJI EXEMPLIFIED
No full textEveryone knows that death is the inevitable end of man. What plagnes the mind of many,consciously or otherwise, is the question of what happens to man when he breaths his lastbreath. While some are of the opinion that after death comes judgment; a detenninant ofwhether one goes to eternal blissful domains, or into everlasting tonnent; depending onwhether he had lived piously or otherwise, while on earth. Another school of thought opinesthat the soul of the dead will reincarnate by taking abode in a new physical body, born as anew baby and live another nonnallife, whereby he/she has the opportunity to correct his/herwrong actions in the previous incarnation. While some are of the opinion that when the soulhas gathered wisdom, knowledge and understanding through several incarnations, it becomesone with the creator; others believe that reincarnation is a continuous process without neithera beginning nor an ending. The Y oruba of South-Western Nigeria, like most other Africans,believes that humans reincarnate in order to re-choose their destiny and fulfill their lifeambitions which they had no chance to achieve in a previous incarnation. An examination ofsome Yoruba traditional songs about death and what follows, show that they believe in 'a dayof reckoning' and the continuum of the life cycle. Reincarnation, generally speaking, isalways thought of, and discussed as a religious phenomenon, most probably because itborders on the super-natural; an issue to which only God; the creative force, has the totallycorrect answer. My bid in this study is to establish through self-confessed persons thatreincarnation is a reality, as against Majeed's (2012) summation that reincarnation as aphenomenon "serves the need of personality identity and as such, it is irrational". Aside fromthat, this study examines and concludes that the acceptance of the reality of reincarnation isnot peculiar to the Traditional Religion of the (African) Y oruba, it is a common nexus inother faiths, unlike what obtains in Christianity and Islam; the two officially recognized(foreign) religions in Nigeria. My exemplifications from Ay~ keji (The other world); aparticularly selected Nollywood film, is as a result of its direct relativity to the issue of thisstudy, which is pivoted around African indigenous thought system and philosophy
Gender, Migration and Citizenship across West African Frontiers as Portrayed in Selected (Yoruba) Nollywood Films
No full textSociological Analysis of Money Rituals as a Recurrent Theme in Yoruba Films
Get PDFThe film, though a relatively modern innovation, is rooted in the age-long human tradition of telling stories. Today, the film has transcended being a tool for ‘twilight enjoyment’. Globally, it is being used to highlight the state of nations folklorically or contemporaneously; portraying their struggles, worldviews, hopes, aspirations and economic, political and social experiences. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has rated Nollywood (the Nigerian film industry) as the second largest producer of films in the world, with Hollywood (America) and Bollywood (India) being in the first and third positions respectively. The loudest criticism of the Nollywood films however, is that of overt and undue emphasis on the supernatural. The apparent downward trend in the socio-economic conditions of the average Nigerian, has led to increase in the number of people using occult practices to come to terms with contemporary socio-economic demands. The focus of this paper therefore is to critically analyze the recurrence of money ritual as a theme in Yoruba films. Pivoting the theoretical framework of the study on Marxism and drawing upon the works of Max Weber; to the effect that many groups apart from class stratification, can be in conflict for the scarce resources in the society. The paper concludes that money rituals’ recurrence as a theme indicates the signs of times. Apart from this, it is a form of voice-lending to demands for a more positive, meaningful and people-focused egalitarian governance. The punishment/negative aftermath of the vice is didactically used as deterrence to portray the ritual as illusionary. Keywords: Economy, Poverty, Social Honour, Governance, Ritua
The use of Language in Ìdààmú Páàdì Mínkáílù: A Religio-Satiric Play
No full textLiterary satire is generally a social pre-occupation; an attempt to contribute to the advancement of a society in all the ramifications of the word. Tis is done by humorously pointing out individual or collective non-conformation to accepted norms and ethos. The task however demands subtlety, especially in the use of language by the satirist who must bring his or her ideas to the forte. Tis essay submits that in Ìdààmú Páàdì Mínkáílù, Adébáyò ̣ Faleti draws out from the reader a mirthless laughter in the confusion of a religious priest and elder statesman, who must not divulge the confession of a repentant member of his congregation, but who, at the same time, must ensure the obedience to, and the maintenance of the social order in his society. The satirist’s bias and the probable reasons for it are highlighted in the essay
The use of Language in Ìdààmú Páàdì Mínkáílù: A Religio-Satiric Play
No full textLiterary satire is generally a social pre-occupation; an attempt to contribute to the advancement of a society in all the ramifications of the word. Tis is done by humorously pointing out individual or collective non-conformation to accepted norms and ethos. The task however demands subtlety, especially in the use of language by the satirist who must bring his or her ideas to the forte. Tis essay submits that in Ìdààmú Páàdì Mínkáílù, Adébáyò ̣ Faleti draws out from the reader a mirthless laughter in the confusion of a religious priest and elder statesman, who must not divulge the confession of a repentant member of his congregation, but who, at the same time, must ensure the obedience to, and the maintenance of the social order in his society. The satirist’s bias and the probable reasons for it are highlighted in the essay
- …
