Playwriting as a medium for conscientization: a study of an M.A. thesis play on victimization “The Last Resort”

Abstract

This research is a creative one attached to an M.A. thesis play entitled “The Last Resort”. It x-rays the thematic concern of victimization of helpless students by some unscrupulous and power-drunk dictators in the university system. For the purpose of this research effort, an imaginary academic environment – Dumbarian University is the setting of the play, ‘The Last Resort’-has been created to capture this depravity and its attendant tyrannical cum oppressive absurdity as witnessed in our tertiary institutions. Through the flashback technique, the play presents the character of Nhenome who narrates his first-year ordeal as an undergraduate to his friends Ovunotoi and Omenudo. Dr. Ginigame, the course lecturer motivated by his personal hatred on Nhenome’s academic discipline declares mass failure to the students. This mass failure motivated Nhenome to stage a revolt against Dr. Ginigame and his cohorts. The Senate empaneled him though it was obvious that he was guilty of academic victimization but based on his connection, he was freed of the accusation and later promoted to the rank of a professor. Using the literary, textual of research, this work through plot, characters, language, and thought, proposes a sanitized method of recruiting academic staff into the university system. A reorientation of staff and students in the university to create a more humane atmosphere that will engender quality learning and development is highly recommended. The university’s different governing bodies such as the department, faculty and university disciplinary committees- the Professional Ethics Committee (PEC), as well as students’ disciplinary body, the university senate, and above all, the university governing council should continue in delivering their good mandates. The future development and repositioning of tertiary institutions through the institutionalization of systematic checks were considered possible panaceas to the issue of victimization.