Creative Artist: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies

Media reports and the framing of women during Nigeria’s National Assembly elections periods (1999-2015)

2026-05-15T04:58:30+00:00

This study investigates how media reports and framing shaped women’s participation in Nigeria’s National Assembly elections between 1999 and 2015. Despite Nigeria’s return to democracy, women’s political representation has remained below 10%, reflecting entrenched socio-cultural, institutional, and media biases. The study examines how media contents influenced the visibility, tone, and framing of women in political reportage, and assesses whether these efforts translated into meaningful representation in the legislature. Anchored on the Agenda-Setting Theory, the study argues that the media play a crucial role in shaping public discourse on gender and politics by determining which issues and actors receive prominence. Adopting a quantitative content analysis, the study examined 150 newspaper articles and 50 broadcast reports from The Guardian, Vanguard, Punch, NTA, and Channels Television across five electoral cycles (1999–2015). Findings revealed that women were largely marginalized in political reporting, with 88% of coverage rated as low or very low in visibility. Negative portrayals (57.5%) dominated, while only 9.5% of reports carried positive tones. Framing patterns were also gendered - 72.5% of reports emphasized gender and personality roles over competence, reinforcing stereotypes that undermine women’s political legitimacy. The study concludes that while media reports contributed to modest improvements in visibility and tone by 2015, structural biases persist in Nigerian media representations. It recommends sustained gender-sensitive media training, inclusive editorial policies, and journalists training to advance equitable political representation. Overall, the study underscores the media’s pivotal role in shaping public perception and political inclusion of women in Nigeria.

Ephemeral legacies: transitional aesthetics, gendered agency, and the precarity of Uli body design among the Igbo of southeast Nigeria

2026-05-15T05:10:00+00:00

This research examines the acute precarity of Uli body adornment, a gender-exclusive art form of the Igbo people of Southeast Nigeria currently on the verge of extinction. Historically, Uli functioned as a sophisticated visual language and a matriarchal somatic diary, where female practitioners (ndi ode Uli) utilized botanical extracts to transform the human body into a site of social, spiritual, and aesthetic discourse. Utilizing a tripartite framework of Post-Colonial Decoloniality, African Feminist Materialism, and Somatic Literacy, this study analyzes the transitional aesthetics that shifted these motifs from ephemeral somatic rituals to permanent academic canvases, most notably through the Nsukka School. The research highlights a paradoxical displacement whereby Uli gained global recognition in galleries as a decolonial modernist aesthetic, while its traditional, female-led practice faced systematic decline due to colonial iconoclasm and Western beauty standards. The study identifies a critical pedagogical gap caused by the rupture of intergenerational knowledge transfer between aging master designers and the contemporary generation. Ultimately, the article argues that the loss of Uli practice signifies more than a disappearance of craft; it represents a profound ontological rupture between the contemporary Igbo woman and her ancestral heritage. The paper concludes with strategic recommendations for revitalization, including the establishment of "Uli Heritage Hubs", digital archiving of motifs, and the integration of ethnobotanical knowledge into formal education to ensure the survival of this living legacy in a globalized era.

Decoding choreographic semiotics: An ethnochoreological assessment of Koroso dance in Kano

2026-05-15T05:22:05+00:00

Dance serves as a vital non-verbal medium for constructing and communicating ethnic identity within African societies. In performance theory, dance codes represent deliberate and fluent physical designs executed by dancers to transmit specific cultural information. This study examines the Koroso dance of Kano State, a prominent creative synthesis of Hausa and Fulani cultural arts. Adopting an ethnochoreological framework, the research investigates how dancers utilize their bodies to express cultural narratives to audiences. Methodologically, the study relies on a qualitative approach utilizing participant observation, structured interviews, and descriptive analysis. The findings reveal that dance codes are not merely accidental movements but are instruments consciously acquired and applied by Koroso performers to anchor their choreographic structures. Ultimately, this study argues that to sustain Koroso in contemporary performance spaces, strategic artistic interventions are required to make these traditional codes more flexible, allowing for creative restructuring and choreographic variety.

Theatre and testimony: Bearing witness to trauma and violence in Ahmed Yerima's Hendu

2026-05-15T05:29:36+00:00

Through the perpetual herdsmen-farmers conflicts of Nigeria, there has been cumulative trauma and violence, displacement affecting the communities, and ethnic tensions, but literary representation is under-explored as one of the avenues of bearing witness and reconciling. The research problem presented through the study is how theatre can be used to testify and humanize the experiences of people who are affected, especially the Fulani nomads, in a society of misconceptions and failed policies. It is hoped that in the analysis of Ahmed Yerima’s play Hendu (2019) it may be possible to consider a dramatic testimony which may serve as a witness to the trauma and violence of these conflicts, and refer to such themes as displacement, culpability and conciliation. The theoretical framework relates to the triadic conflict resolution theory developed by Johan Galtung that focuses on attitude, behavior, and contradiction in the peacebuilding process and trauma theory by Cathy Caruth, to discuss the process in which narrative reenactment addresses unresolvable pain. The study is methodologically based on qualitative literary analysis, close reading of texts, thematic deconstruction and social-pragmatic analysis of conversations by relying on ethnography of communication (S-P-E-A-K-I-N-G model) to contextualize the cultural discourses. The anticipated outcomes are the findings about the role of theatre in the reframe of insurgencies, development of empathy across boundaries, and non-violent solutions, which will eventually become a component of the potential of insurgent of the Nigerian drama in terms of social healing and political discussion.

Commodifying celebrityship in products’ adverts: The Kannywood experience

2026-05-15T05:40:22+00:00

This paper investigates the commodification of actors in Kannywood serials. Though considered a threat and depraved by many, the Hausa film industry, Kannywood, has remained a home to Hausa celebrity actors. As a medium and an industry with a large audience beyond Northern Nigeria, the Hausa film industry has become a fertile ground for economic viability through advertisement, notwithstanding the criticisms it suffers from purists and the government. The actors' credibility, which stemmed from the enforced ethical principles, has earned them absolute trust and acceptance from their audience and placed them in celebrity status. This celebrity status has thus positioned most of Kannywood A-listers as influencers of several companies and ambassadors for numerous products. Consequently, these opportunities birthed an avenue for the actors to create their brands and products advertised at several intermissions in Hausa serials. Using the source celebrity model as a tool for analysis, the paper examines the efficacy of actors’ celebrityship in advertisements, branding, and imaging in Rufaida Yoghurt and Turaren Abale in the Kannywood serial, Sanda.

From source to screen: Transposition and representation in adaptation: An analysis of Gina Prince Bythewood's Woman King

2026-05-15T05:50:13+00:00

Film adaptation is a complex and multifaceted creative process that involves the transposition and representational reconfiguration of source materials into cinematic narratives. As stories move from source to screen, filmmakers must negotiate the formal, aesthetic, and ideological differences between media while responding to audience expectations and cultural contexts. Despite the prevalence of adaptation in cinema, critical understanding of how narratives are transposed, reimagined, and represented remains fragmented. This study seeks to establish a conceptual framework for what constitutes adaptation in film by examining the principles of transposition and representation as central to the adaptation process. Drawing primarily on Linda Hutcheon’s A Theory of Adaptation and related adaptation theories, the study explores how filmmakers interpret, transform, and visually represent source texts within the cinematic medium. Employing a qualitative research methodology, the research integrates textual analysis of selected film adaptations with interviews from industry practitioners to interrogate both theoretical perspectives and production practices. The study also examines the influence of technological advancements and emerging media platforms on adaptation strategies, as well as the role of audience reception in shaping adaptive choices and determining cultural relevance. Through critical analysis of theory, case studies, and industry insights, this research illuminates the dynamic relationship between source texts, cinematic representation, and audience interpretation. The findings underscore adaptation as a creative and dialogic practice rather than a derivative one, offering significant implications for filmmakers, screenwriters, and scholars in adaptation studies. Ultimately, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of adaptation as a vital mode of cinematic storytelling and its role in shaping contemporary film culture.

21st century play directing in a virtual space: Prospects and challenges

2026-05-15T05:55:14+00:00

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital technologies across Africa, particularly in Nigeria, compelling theatre practitioners to re-evaluate traditional modes of play production. Physical co-presence, long considered indispensable to directing, was disrupted by public health restrictions, prompting the exploration of virtual alternatives. This paper examines video conferencing as a viable and enduring option for 21st-century play directing, assessing its prospects and challenges within virtual space. Adopting a qualitative research design complemented by descriptive and analytical methods, the study draws primary data from interviews and participant observation of virtual rehearsals, while secondary data are derived from books, journals, and digital sources. The analysis is framed by Marshall McLuhan’s Technological Determinism Theory (1964), which posits that media technologies shape human communication and social structures. Findings indicate that virtual platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet create new modes of director–actor engagement, enabling flexible scheduling, transnational collaboration, and integration of multimedia elements often constrained by physical staging. However, the study also identifies challenges including digital fatigue, latency, loss of embodied immediacy, and unequal access to stable internet infrastructure. The paper concludes that technology does not merely replicate physical directing but expands creative possibilities by fostering hybrid forms of performance that blend live and mediated elements. It recommends deliberate investment in digital literacy, technical infrastructure, and pedagogical frameworks to mainstream virtual directing in theatre training and professional practice across Nigeria and beyond.

Linguistic justice for women: A critical discourse analysis of gendered power in selected Nollywood films

2026-05-15T05:59:45+00:00

Justice for women remains a critical focal point within global human rights discourses. While legal and institutional reforms are essential, the role of language in reinforcing patriarchal structures or empowering women is frequently overlooked. This paper interrogates linguistic choices at interpersonal, institutional, and policy levels that systematically disadvantage women, using two Nollywood films as case studies of contemporary cultural discourse. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study utilizes secondary data alongside critical intuition, situating its analysis within the complementary frameworks of Liberal Feminism and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Liberal Feminism highlights how legal policies and structural reforms can dismantle gender inequality by securing individual rights, while CDA, drawing on the theories of Norman Fairclough, Teun A. van Dijk, and Ruth Wodak, exposes how everyday linguistic choices in cultural texts reflect and reproduce societal power imbalances. The findings reveal that patriarchal dominance is subtly maintained through condescending and exclusionary language embedded in contemporary narratives. This paper argues that achieving linguistic justice requires intentional, gender-inclusive language use alongside a paradigm shift in media production. It concludes with a recommendation for policy interventions and legal frameworks that penalize defamatory and condescending discourse against women to foster lasting social compliance.

The politics of abandonment: Akachaamism and the Nigerian migration question

2026-05-15T06:16:13+00:00

This paper examines contemporary Nigerian migration through the conceptual framework of Akachaamism, an indigenous political-philosophical category that captures civic moral exhaustion arising from institutional abandonment. While existing scholarship frequently explains Nigerian migration in terms of unemployment, insecurity, and economic precarity, this study argues that such structural accounts insufficiently address the deeper ethical and existential crisis underlying youth mobility. Drawing on Albert Hirschman’s theory of exit and voice, Axel Honneth’s recognition theory, social contract traditions associated with Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls, and postcolonial critiques articulated by Frantz Fanon, the paper conceptualizes migration as both political withdrawal and existential revolt. Akachaamism names the moment at which prior civic loyalty collapses under conditions of recognition failure, insecurity, corruption, and institutional dysfunction. In this context, migration becomes not merely economic relocation but a moral response to breached reciprocity between citizen and state. It represents both indictment of governance failure and a constructive project of reclaiming dignity and meaning elsewhere. The study further argues that large-scale Nigerian migration signals a crisis of citizenship and relational legitimacy in the Nigerian postcolonial state. Reversing this trajectory requires reconstruction of reciprocal belonging through security, institutional accountability, meritocratic recognition, and participatory responsiveness. Akachaamism thus functions as both diagnostic and normative tool for evaluating the ethics of governance and the future of postcolonial legitimacy.

Historical Accuracy or Anachronism? An examination of Period Costumes in Ghanaian Films

2026-05-15T06:43:27+00:00

Studies on costume design in film scholarship have received much consideration from researchers in the Ghanaian landscape, yet there is a lack of devoted attention on costumes in Ghanaian films set in the past. Specifically, this paper interrogates selected period costumes in the classic Ghanaian film Heritage Africa (1989) to determine whether they reflect historical accuracy or anachronism. To achieve this, the study adopts a qualitative research framework using descriptive analysis. It draws on Stuart Hall’s cultural identity theory and uses a purposive sampling technique to select the classic Ghanaian film as a study object for analysis. Findings revealed that the filmmaker made an attempt to showcase part of Ghanaian dressing culture through costume design defining the era. Also, it indicated that the costume design added to the authenticity, believability and characterisation in the selected film. To this end, the paper argues that period costume design demands intensive research in execution. This helps avert misunderstandings among viewers and refines how they perceive historical costume presentations. In conclusion, it serves to project our rich culture, social identities and heritage on a grand visual scale.