Ibadan Journal of Theatre Arts

REVISITING ARISTOTELIAN CRITICISM OF EURIPIDES’ DEUS EX MACHINA

2025-08-20T12:41:46+00:00

In assessing Euripides and his tragedies, Aristotle, in his Poetics, as well as his modern apologists, generally portrays Euripides as
irrational, anachronistic, iconoclastic and anti-traditional. Euripides’s use of deus ex machina as a tragic device is particularly condemned on the ground that it serves as a feeble means to resolve complicated plot, thereby rendering the internal economy of his tragedies defective and dramatically disunified. This paper frowns at such condemnation by arguing that Aristotle and his corroborators have been critically unfair to Euripides. To defend Euripides, the paper, through a qualitative content analysis of three Euripidean tragedies: Medea, Hippolytus and Ion, establishes that his deus ex machina was not a contrivance that
only resolves complicated and knotty plot; rather, the device was part and parcel of a rational, organic and internal whole plot.
From the plots and analyses of the three plays, the paper points out that Euripides intends, among others, that his deus ex machina would always serve as an ironic and satiric device in resolving matters concerning mortals and immortals, especially where no witnesses could arbitrate or testify between them.

RACISM: OPERA’S UNLISTED CAST MEMBER

2025-08-29T10:58:24+00:00

Abstract Interaction among the human population has long been, and will remain, a major barometer for determining the outcome of many affairs of life. Current world events have again made race, racism, and race relationships an intricate part of daily journalism. Each of the operas identified in this study is firmly established in the tradition of European lyric theatre performance. Accordingly, each score is frequently produced in opera houses throughout the world. Moreover, the scores have been recorded extensively by major performing artists. The composers of these works are held in very high esteem by all who are identified with the arts. These operas have survived through, and thrived upon, many different philosophies and concepts of production. To examine in detail a complete study of these truths in relation to the operas brought forth in this discussion is beyond the scope of this essay. The thrust here is to allow five Black male operatic characters to take centre stage and expound, with some analysis and detail, upon their stories.

CONCEPTUALISING VIRTUE IN SOPHOCLES’ OEDIPUS TYRANNUS

2025-08-29T11:19:39+00:00

This essay focuses on Oedipus Tyrannus, a Classical archetypal tragedy. Its spatial and temporal settings and characterisation situate this tragedy as an archetype for appraising the tragic hero. Given this canonical status among tragedies, scholars, since the Classical era, have attempted to appraise the underlying causes of Oedipus’ tragic fall from various perspectives. The question of free will and moral responsibility in the face of predestination as represented by Oedipus’ and his parents’ lives, is the crux in some of those studies. This paper, therefore, takes a trajectory different from this generic approach, shedding light on the admirable qualities of virtue which Oedipus possesses, as typified by the tough choices and decisions he gallantly makes in order to resolve the internal and external conflicts of identity and regicide-cum parricide that plague him and the Thebans. The analysis carried out from the hermeneutics perspective evaluates Oedipus’ rather familiar ‘vices’ as having the inherent properties of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance, which make up the Aristotelian conceptualisation of virtue. It finds that justice in Sophocles’ tragedy is a bifurcated fusion of divine will and retribution that often plays out on an innocent life as it happened in the case of Oedipus, who, along with his parents, consistently sacrifices any position of gain by birth and circumstance; and proactively bears the weight of his father’s misdeed even when that means paying the ultimate price in order to avert or revert the ill fated curse placed on him before his conception. The study concludes that Oedipus’ actions are virtuous and worthy of emulation—not castigation—and that he should be regarded as a national hero and selfless leader, a model for the contemporary leaders and individuals.

THEATRE IN THE VANGUARD OF COUNTERTERRORISM IN THE COMPUTER AGE

2025-09-17T19:08:07+00:00

This was the text of a Lead Paper presented at the 2018 Conference of the Society of Nigerian Theatre Artists (SONTA)
hosted by the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE). Addressing the broad theme of Theatre in the vanguard of counterterrorism, the paper situates the discourse within the context of the computer age which has revolutionised human communication on the global stage. Theatre, the paper argues, has always been deployed in the service of the human society, from inception, as against the contentious aesthetic theory of art for art’s sake. The paper traces the artistic intervention of theatre in human affairs from its close collaboration with the religious persuasion of the Classical Greek society, to later involvement in politics and other societal imperatives, propelled by the supersonic speed of the Information Age driven by computer technology. The paper urges all the participants at the conference to deliberate on the how and why theatre can collaborate with technology to defeat the growing scourge of terrorism in the global space.

ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS: DANCE-INDUCED SPIRIT POSSESSION AND TRANCE

2025-09-17T19:59:07+00:00

Spirit possession and trance are very dominant features of Altered State of Consciousness (ASC), especially within religious spheres. However, dance and movement, with the accompaniment of music/sound, create such an enabling environment, for individuals who are so predisposed, to easily and quickly transpose from the normal states of awareness to altered states of mystical interactions. Also critically discussed is the term ASC as both a religious and psychological phenomenon. This paper, therefore, explores ASC within the context of dance, using two different case studies in explaining the intricacies of trance, in particular, and spirit possession.

WHAT ABOUT FAMILY? TESS ONWUEME’S SHAKARA: DANCE-HALL QUEEN AND THE CHALLENGES OF CONTEMPORARY PARENTING

2025-09-17T20:36:24+00:00

In contemporary Nigeria, there has been a remarkable shift in the balance of power to children as Western family models and parenting suffuse the Internet and cable reality programmes lapped up by hypersensitive youth increasingly incentivized by anxious parents goading them on to achieve egocentric goals. Parenting challenges appear to have gained much traction in the wake of the 21st century as modernist forces proliferate, and the civic frontiers of traditional values shrink further. There is need to evolve sustainable cultural approaches towards parenting in a modern Nigerian society facing extraneous influences on the
younger impressionable generation. Government and policy framers, educators and parents, need to reassess their engagement
with children and adolescents to ensure that traditional values are imparted. Using Tess Onwueme’s SHAKARA: DANCE-HALL
QUEEN, the article engages the conservative notions of single motherhood as being oppressive in nature. The research advances
the need to redirect our social development dialogue towards family-based gender agenda that confront existing paternalistic
parenting models

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES AND PERCEIVED CONTROL MEASURES OF ETHIOPIAN FILMS: THE CASE OF IN-SCHOOL YOUTH IN ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

2025-09-18T14:31:01+00:00

The study examines the effects of Ethiopian films in Addis Ababa. It looks into how young people respond to Ethiopian films in the media and how they perceive and interpret them in their daily lives. An approximate longitudinal survey design was employed to collect data from students in Assay Primary and Secondary School from November 20, 2016 up to June 10, 2017. The survey data were collected from 80 randomly selected students from those who had experience in watching Ethiopian films. In order to supplement the quantitative data, in-depth interviews and focus group discussion (FGD) were used to collect qualitative ones.
Accordingly, two focus group discussions were carried out with students, while parents and teachers participated in in-depth interviews. Hence, a triangular methodology was undertaken to analyse both quantitative and qualitative data. The study reveals that young Ethiopian film viewers are influenced and affected in many ways, both positively and negatively. These include rushing to early and unsafe sexual practices, alcohol and substance abuse, distorting the value and image of women, imitating
Western sexual acts and practices, abandoning family values, bad behaviour, among others. The study also demonstrates that the films, apart from sheer entertainment, have positive roles such as informing viewers how to improve their social interaction and behaviours to know and learn other cultures.The study concludes that, in spite of their undesirable consequences on various aspects of life, Ethiopian films have manifest entertainment and educative values for the adolescents.

THE INDEFATIGABLE, ITINERANT SCHOOL MUSIC TEACHER: GODWIN ADEDAYÒ DÉDE KÉ

2025-09-18T18:36:16+00:00

The rise and development of Yorùbá art music was influenced by the activities of European missionaries in Lagos and its environs,
which began in the mid-nineteenth century. It manifested in the form of sacred music in the church, and secular music in the
schools and society. This gave rise to composers and practitioners of art music, whose objective was to create a modern tradition of Nigerian art music. They were trained in local and overseas institutions and composed music patterned, not only along European music, but also in combination with African musical elements. Amongst these composers were T.K.E Phillips, Fela
Sowande and Dayo Using the theory of cultural nationalism, this article studies the life and musical contributions of Godwin Adedayo (1921-1994), a Yoruba art musician and frontline school music teacher, whose works and activities spanned various schools across South Western Nigeria. His work culminated in the publication of his popular song book Ma gbagbe ile in 1963. Oral interviews and focus group discussions were used to gather data, which was presented utilising content analysis. Ma
gbagbe ile contains 36 sacred songs, as well as 14 secular songs. As a school music teacher, Dayo Dedeke taught the songs to
various secondary schools across South-Western Nigeria. He also popularised Yorùbá choral music through radio and television
choral music programmes for schools an colleges, title ‘The Young Voices

THE YORUBA THEATRE FROM RELIGIOUS AND RITUALISTIC PERSPECTIVES

2025-09-18T19:17:05+00:00

Many available studies on Nigerian drama and theatre attribute their development in the country to rituals, religion and festivals.
In a more specific submission, Ogunbiyi (ed.) (1981 & 2014) opines that the Nigerian theatre and drama, especially the
traditional Yoruba theatre, developed or evolved through vast religious festivals and rituals which are rooted in the culture and
tradition of the people in the country. To this end, this study tends to probe into the ritualistic background of traditional Yoruba
theatre so as to ascertain the extent to which it has been influenced by rituals over the period of time. In doing this, the study will
employ the theory and concept of Vicky-Ann Cremona (2007) in Festivalising Process (2007) and Festivals as Poly-Systems,
proposed by Temple Hauptfleisch (2007).

INDIGENOUS AFRICAN MUSICIANS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CULTURAL TOURISM IN NIGERIA, TANZANIA AND SOUTH AFRICA

2025-09-18T19:41:55+00:00

African music was a tradition mainly performed at meetings and social events. Given the vastness of the continent, traditional music is historically ancient, rich and complex, with many distinct musical styles in different regions and African countries. In Africa, music is very important in all things, including religious practices. Songs and music are used to express stories from generation to generation by way of cultural transmission. Even to rituals and religious ceremonies, songs, dance and drama are crucial. Oral transmission of culture without written evidence is a dominant paradigm for the transmission of ancient tales, legends, and life forms among the African peoples. This study, therefore, examines the past and present state of Traditional African Music in Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa and the contributions of the selected African musicians to cultural tourism. It highlights some of the factors responsible for the decline in Traditional African Music and recommends ways by which both government and individuals
can help to revive the dying culture of traditional music in Africa.

CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS AT THE FIRST NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THEATRE SCHOLARS IN NIGERIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION AT THE ADENIRAN OGUNSANYA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, FROM 6TH TO 9TH MAY, 2019

2025-09-18T19:57:36+00:00

The paper is the text of the Chairman’s Address at the First National Conference of Theatre Scholars and Artists in Nigerian
Colleges of Education, hosted by Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Otto, Ijanikin, Lagos, from Monday the 6th to Thursday, the 9th of May, 2019. Recalling, with nostalgia, the very first National Conference hosted by the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan, in 1976, on the same subject, the paper argues that the time is now ripe for Drama to gain curricular
recognition in our secondary schools, like Fine Art and Music. It hopes that this Conference would make the difference this time
around, and urges all participants and stakeholders in the education industry to work hard towards the actualisation of the long-nourished dream, which will make a positive impact on the entire educational curriculum in Nigerian schools.