Creative Artist: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work: Recent Graduates’ Perspective

2024-03-19T06:46:58+00:00

Recent technological developments suggest that sooner or later, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will become an indispensable technology. With the developed countries leading in the development and deployment of AI, it is therefore a plausible claim that students and recent graduates of schools in the Global North may be familiar with the technology. For Africa, this is unclear. This paper therefore assesses the level of fresh graduates’ awareness and their level of preparedness for prospects, issues and possible threat that AI may pose in their future work life. Specifically, the project profiles students according to their current level of AI understanding, assesses students’ perception of its potential threat and assesses their level of preparedness to use the technology. A total of 112 recent graduates from various Nigerian tertiary institutions serving in the mandatory National Youths’ Service Corps (NYSC) were randomly selected to respond to fill the survey. Descriptive Statistics and Multinomial Logit Model were analytical techniques. Results show that most of the graduates are essentially ignorant or unsure of the threat of AI to their lives and especially for the foreseeable future. These categories of graduates are within the ranks of class lower than First Class. Further, almost all the graduates are unaware of any policy concerns of the government on ICT and AI. Nevertheless, almost all of them were willing to pay to learn about AI. The apparent ignorance of the potentials – positive or negative – of AI among the graduates in the case study country of Nigeria reveals a deficiency in curricula and highlights the need for a more robust policy response from government. The study raises significant concerns and questions about not only the currency of higher education curricula in Nigeria, but also in Africa broadly, in addition to young people’ s readiness to survive and thrive in the digital future of work

Role Interpretation and Actor Training in the Nigerian Film Industry

2024-03-19T07:17:19+00:00

Acting as an art has been abused and misused by some amateurs and non-professionals who see acting as an art that deserves no formal training, hence they rush into it and by implication exhibit poor role interpretation. This paper therefore presents the problem of poor role interpretation as it concerns film making in Nigeria. It made use of the content analysis approach of the qualitative research method in explicating the problem of poor acting and how it has persecuted the quality of production content of Nigerian films. It went further to stress the importance of constant and formal training towards the realization of a believable character. It suggests that there is need for all talented actors to be exposed to trainings and capacity development programs that will refine their raw talent.

Repositioning Nigeria’s Culture and Tourism Industry for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development: An Encounter with Arinta Waterfalls

2024-03-19T07:35:44+00:00

Tourism and culture are two entities that have contributed to the socio-economic development of different nations of the world, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates etc are pointers to this fact. However, it is appalling to note that, despite the tourism and culture potentials of Nigeria, the nation has refused to explore this avenue of generating economy, but rather concentrate all its resources on crude oil as the mainstay of the economy, and consequently, hampering socio economic development of other sectors/region. This paper aims at investigating the problems ravaging the culture and tourism sector, using the researcher’s encounter with Arinta Waterfalls in Ipole Iloro Ekiti, with a view of institutionalising the way forward for the industry. The paper hinges of the Social Exchange Theory and adopts both qualitative and quantitative methods of data gathering, through interviews with the stakeholders, and a total of 50 questionnaires were distributed through a random sampling technique and all were retrieved. The study thus, concludes that, unavailability of publicity, inefficiency and absence of tourist site workers, hike in transportation are major problems contributing to the dearth of tourism in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that, government should seek to commercialize tourist sites, to enhance efficiency and sustainability in administration, as well as adequate publicity through radio jingles, television, billboards at strategic places and social media.

Diasporic Writings and Chimamanda Adichie’s Introspections in Purple Hibiscus

2024-03-19T07:41:42+00:00

The decision of some African literary writers to relocate to Europe, America and other countries of the world might be due to unconducive environment of their homeland. While they reside in the foreign land, they continuously reflect nostalgically on events and issues taking place in society. This study examines how African Diasporic writers particularly Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie introspectively portrays her homeland experience in her debut novel, Purple Hibiscus. This literary text is purposively chosen based on its relevance to the subject of discourse and qualitatively analyzed, using both the analytical and descriptive methods. The paper finds that Africans especially Nigerians are still battling with challenges that appear insurmountable even after decades of their political independence. Some of these problems are intra-family conflicts that result in disintegration and death of members while many others are traceable to economic and political turmoil in the country. The experience of the diasporic writer is thematically examined in the study.

Post-Truth Society and the Social Media in The 21st Century

2024-03-19T08:00:32+00:00

Post-truth theory or media concept, which silently crept into the global media space in the recent past, is fast gaining prominence and elevating itself to the forefront of media discourse. Many scholars and writers have even concluded that the society has slipped into post- truth condition because of the invasion of the media space by fake news and misinformation. It is believed that as the influence of post- truth becomes widespread across the media spectrum, those on its path, may be swept along without raising the necessary flags that negate the assumed power and lifeline of the rising new media concept. Upon this therefore, this work used qualitative research method to deploy media theories from books and journals to deconstruct the invincibility of post-truth. This is particularly so as there are classical theories such as Uses and Gratification, Individual Differences and Social Categories typologies, which prove that individuals do not consume media products the same way and are never affected the same way by any single media output as they are able to choose and pay attention to media offerings that meet their needs and carefully reject those that do not meet their desires. The research therefore, concludes that post-truth does not possess the pervasive power to disorient or obstruct media users from recognising and using objective facts or truth in making critical decisions about their lives. Individuals are not lumped together in making critical media decisions whenever and wherever the need arises no matter the strength and frequency of fake news that they encounter. It is therefore, safe to state that post-truth is incapable of influencing media users to the extent that they jettison truth and objective facts and embrace ‘alternative facts or lies in forming public opinion. For this reason, the research makes the point that the frenzy about post- truth society arising from the menace posed by fake news, is a misplaced apprehension given the fact that each media consumer possesses a ‘thinking cap’ that enables them to decipher what is truthful and useful and what is false and undesirable.

Farmer-Herder Clashes and the Choreographic Motif of the ‘Emblem of Peace’ Dance Performance

2024-03-19T08:15:16+00:00

The consistent feud between the herdsmen and farmers clashes in Nigeria has devastating effects on the Nigerian citizens. The wanton destruction of lives and properties, hunger and starvation that are orchestrated by this menace is worrisome and a major concern for academics. Stake holders and policy makers have intervened through different measures to ameliorate these crises to no avail. These crises to the best knowledge of this researcher have led to citizen’s agitation and unrest in many parts of the country. Therefore, there is a need for consistent effort by stake holders, policy makers, theatre institutions and administrators to do more and sit on a round table for continued dialogue in order to address the issue of farmer-herder clashes in Nigeria. In view of the foregoing, this study beams its searchlight on the menace of farmer-herder conflicts in the structuring of dance production which was titled: “The Emblem of peace”. The choreographic motif of the dance appeals for peace to reign between the herdsmen and the farmers’ in Nigeria. The research adopts theory of eukinetics which deals with the art of designing dance sequences in analyzing Godwin Onuche’s dance Production. The comments from the viva-voce of the production reveals that, the dance package was well understood; it offers a unique and powerful form of human expression through body movement and allows one to speak in language that is visceral. This study recommends and concludes that, The Emblem of Peace” like other forms of art, provides a space in which one can experience new possibilities and consciousness that are anchored on peace and tranquility within the ambience of dance choreography in Nigeria.

Effective Prosthetics Artistry and Character Costuming in Nollywood Films: Challenges of the Nollywood Designers

2024-03-19T08:28:09+00:00

Over the years, studies in prosthetic artistry and costuming in Nollywood films have been used to strike the right balance between visual spectacle and narrative impact. Being that narrative coherence is essential in Nollywood's storytelling thus, these effects have helped to create a major impact on the characters’ appearance and believability. Although one of the essential parts of the visual aspect of modern cinema, but the inability of the Nollywood designers to seamlessly integrate prosthetic artistry and character costuming that improves on the visual elements of Nollywood films forms the major drawback to this research study. Based on this outlook, the paper investigates prosthetics and character costuming in Nollywood video films and seeks to determine the challenges faced by Nollywood designers in achieving effective prosthetic artistry and character costuming. The paper through a critical analysis and two randomly selected Nigerian Video films- Biyi Bandele’s Blood Sisters (2022), and Inawadolu Greg’s Egwonga - the deadly god (2013) explores how Nollywood designers integrate prosthetics artistry and costume design within the vibrant landscape of Nollywood narratives. However, the paper discovers that Nollywood designers are faced with myriad problems such as striking a balance between spectacle and authenticity in historically informed films, budget and time constraints, lack of technical advancements and innovations, limited resources, etc. The paper therefore concludes that achieving effective prosthetics artistry and character costuming in Nollywood films will set the stage for an intriguing analysis, creativity, resourcefulness, and impacts on extravagant cultural expression and authenticity.