Me za a yi da shi; a side-comment that revitalized the development of arts in Umar Suleiman college of education Gashua

Abstract

Many individuals may wonder how Fine Arts, in its Western conceived import, has survived in Gashua, an area that has deep attachment to cultural practices that run parallel to Western artistic orientations. Like an oasis in the desert, this story has become a success, thus marking a turning-point in which Fine Arts has transited from its experimental stage to become permanently enshrined in the Faculty at Umar Suleiman College of Education Gashua. Presenting a three-phased maiden developmental account of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts in this College of Education, this paper maintains that consideration of a reoccurring side-comment at exhibitions of fine arts – me za a yi da shi – in the implementation of its curriculum brought about significant improvement. Under its influence, the department, initially literally on the verge of collapse, quickly resuscitated and the number of admitted students increased. The paper further shows that the spirit of me za a yi da shi is related to the emerging global education order – Entrepreneurship Education – and suggests ways of making it a national policy in Art Education.