Drama and The Nigerian Economic Recession Question: A case study of Felicia Onyewadume’s Echoes of Hard Times

Abstract

It is no news that Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa and the largest producer of oil amongst African countries, is currently experiencing  economic recession. While the reason for this phenomenon may be global and may be attributed so such factors as: high inflation caused by a rise in the  prices of goods and service, a fall in the price and demand for oil, poor economic planning, high interest rate and many others. The purpose of this essay  is not to cast blames on anyone or glorify the already identified causes of the recession in Nigeria, but to advance a solution to this problem. Admittedly,  drama has served a veritable tool for social reconstruction and redirection. By this, drama does not only entertain, but in doing this it also informs and  educates society for good. Drama, thus, has proven a potent tool to solve the problems of man as he interacts with the social forces around him. The  foregoing is the aim of this study as this research demonstrates how Nigerians can deal with as well as surmount the current challenges they face in this  period of recession, using Felicia Onyewadume’s Echoes of Hard Times as its case study. The study employs the case study and content analysis research  approaches of the qualitative research method to realise set objectives. It observed observes that studies bordering on the role of drama in dealing with  economic recession are limited, and therefore calls for more studies to be carried out in this area.