Lagos Notes and Records

Language, Culture and Identity: A Sociolinguistic Study of Bilingual Speech in Central Lagos

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

This paper explores the dynamics of bilingual speech in the Lagos Island speech community in Central Lagos. Against the background of the unique social motivations for bilingual behaviour in this cosmopolitan community, this study explores the various sociolinguistic acts utilized by the Yoruba-English bilinguals in the expression of their indigenous socio- cultural identity. These devices include the use of slang, code-switching and code-mixing. Based on the premise that language acts are acts of identity (Le page and Tabouret-Keller, 1985), it is argued that individual and social identities are mediated by language and are generally exhibited in the form of language attitudes. This study thus examines a corpus of naturally-occuring data in the explication of these sociolinguistic features of language use in a non-native English environment.

Keywords: bilingual behaviour, slang, code-switching, code-mixing,
social identities.

The Eagle of Womanhood: Dramatising the Strength of Nigerian Women in the Wake of Modern Experience

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

Man is endowed with talent, he acquires knowledge, and skills that enable him thrive in the hostile world. The female gender is imbued with such tremendous strength that enfolds as the ages passed. Where does Nigerian drama locate the strength of Igbo women as they grapple with the challenges of modern life especially those that affect their gender? This paper “The Eagle of Womanhood” explicates the dimensions of female power in the theatre of Osita Ezenwanebe’s Adaugo (2011) in order to highlight another side of female power rarely dramatized on the Nigeria stage. This is done by evaluating the choices made by the female protagonist at a critical moment in her spousal relationship and their effect on her family and other characters in the play, especially the male antagonists. The aim is to refute the obnoxious view of female indolence and rebut the claim of “woe-men” ideology which associates female accomplishments with social and filial catastrophe. “The Eagle of Womanhood” is aimed at achieving gender complementarity for sustainable development of ndi Igbo and Nigeria in general. It is Adaugo’s unflinching effort in securing the survival of her family despite all odds that is considered the eagle of her womanhood, a womanist strength that also underscores an urgent need for change in the Igbo’s gendered conceptualization of social roles in contemporary world.

Keywords: gender, Nigerian drama, the Igbos, Patriarchy, Feminism,
African Womanism

Naija Hip Hop: An Analysis of the Music of 2Face Idibia

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

In recent times, contemporary discourse on the analysis of popular music has taken the front burner. This is as a result of the growing trend of this genre in the stream of world music and the numerous awards being won by Nigerian hip hop artistes both at home and abroad. This paper examines the music of Innocent “2 Face” Idibia to illustrate common aspects between local elements and the western popular features inherent in his music. These features are provided by the analysis of certain musical concepts in staff notation. Drawing on descriptive and stylistic theory, this article provides an analysis of five songs of the musician. Through an interpretive lens, the paper identifies specific elements in relation to his use of melody, rhythm, harmony and form in the music.

Keywords: Stylistic analysis, music genres, Hip Hop, Fusion, popular music.

Aesthetic Philosophies of Yoruba Folk Musical Idioms

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

This paper defines the philosophical factors for evaluating the folk musical idioms among the Yorùbá of Western Nigeria. Different linguistic groups across the globe have peculiar interpretations for spectacles of musical sound. The paper examines how musical performances are interpreted and sentiments are reduced in music across the Yorùbá homeland. The paper uses oral interview and participant observation to investigate what music is and what is considered good in the context of aesthetic functions. It explores the performance ambience to illustrate its aesthetic Philosophies. The paper observes that the aesthetic values include Logogenic, pathogenic, culture indication, and so forth.

Keywords: Logogenic, Pathogenic, Aesthetic Philosophy, Aural and Visual Perception.

Singer’s Utilitarian Account of Cosmopolitan Obligations: A Critical Evaluation

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

One of the fundamental academic impacts of the ongoing phenomenon of globalization is the expansion of intellectual/moral horizon which has culminated in what some scholars describe as the rise of global consciousness. This, consequently, had led to the reemergence and the strengthening of the cosmopolitan movement whose basic assumption is that all human beings share essential features that unite, or should unite, them in a community that transcends national borders, and warrant their designation as “citizens of the world.” From this core, cosmopolitan discourses examine the issues of community, identity, political institutions, justice, obligation etc. Our concern in this paper is to critically interrogate Peter Singer’s utilitarian-based conception of cosmopolitan obligations. Singer’s thesis, simply put, is that from the perspective of utilitarian and cosmopolitan considerations, the affluent owe a moral obligation to provide aid to the masses of the poor irrespective of whether they are compatriots or foreigners. Here we examine the validity of Singer’s argument, highlight, its strength and weakness, and then proceed to demonstrate how singer’s argument can be reconstructed to establish the proposition that the affluent owe the poor a duty of aid.

Keywords: Cosmopolitan, Utilitarian, Charity, Development

Religion and Politics: Gandhian Philosophy as a Model

2014-02-06T11:15:30+00:00

Over the years, the debate on whether or not there is a nexus between religion and politics has been a matter of considerable dispute among religious people, particularly among Christians. In response to such dispute, this paper argues that politics and religion are not only strongly connected, they are mutually compatible, both practically and theoretically. A working model to prove the workability of the compatibility of religion and politics in this paper will be Gandhism or better put – Gandhian philosophy. Some Indian-Hindu principles employed by Gandhi as roots of his philosophy (Gandhism) will be outlined and explained with reference to the Nigerian situation. Also, the employment of Gandhism as a working model will reveal that politics pervades all religions, and consequently, Gandhism embraces Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and other religious faiths and creeds provided that such a believer’s love for mankind is unshakable. The conclusion will be that religion and politics are inseparable. But Religion and politics if not well managed and coordinated could be a curse and a source of worry for the society. Gandhi’s linkage of religion and politics is also in tune with the present day enlightened securalism.

Keywords: Gandhi; Religion; Philosophy; Politics

The Futility of Any Anti-Metaphysical Position

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

This essay explains why it is difficult or even impossible to reject metaphysics. By this we do not mean that metaphysical theories cannot be refuted; what we rather mean to say is that it is absolutely futile to deny the existence of metaphysics and its importance to human life. To do so would amount to the denial of the human capacity to go beyond the mundane, beyond the known, beyond the physical, to the transcendental, where experience is abstracted and reconstructed for the purpose of world transformation.

Insuring the Nation: Europeans and the Emergence of Modern Insurance Business in Colonial Nigeria

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

Insurance as one of the pillars of any economy has been in existence from time immemorial. However, with time, an internationally acceptable form of practising and underwriting insurable risk were developed first by the Europeans who in turn introduced it to other continents of the world. Thus, this paper discusses the emergence of modern insurance business in Nigeria between 1902 and 1959. The paper not only explained the basic concepts of modern insurance, but also posits that both the colonial government in Nigeria and the colonial office in London aided the emergence of foreign insurance companies that dominated the Nigerian insurance market during the period under consideration.

Nigeria’s Fiscal Deficits: A History of its Colonial Foundations, 1899 – 1959

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

In the last thirty years, deficit financing has become a major impediment to fiscal balance in the administration of public expenditure in Nigeria. From the middle of the 1980s up to the present, the federal government has consistently overspent its actual revenue accruals and have even borrowed in the pursuit of projects for which she has too little revenue backing. In fact, since the beginning of democratic rule in the current fourth republic, government has increasingly failed to balance its budget with grave consequences for price levels, interest rates, inflation and macroeconomic stability. This paper shows that deficit financing of public expenditure by the Nigerian government is however not a recent issue and that it can be traced to the formative years of Nigeria’s public finance in the colonial period. The paper however argues that unlike the current practice, deficit financing was driven more in the colonial period by the need to build an infrastructure base for the economy rather than on personnel and overhead expenses manifested in the lopsided allocation of the greatest proportion of public revenues to the recurrent budget as it is the practice in Nigeria today.

In Search of the Meaning of Life: An Ethical Evaluation of Albert Camus’ Philosophy of Revolt

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

This contemporary age has been described as one characterized by a wave of revolts. Every part of the world, every segment of society is dotted with one form of revolt or another. The resultant turbulence and anomie have caused thinkers to raise fundamental questions concerning the meaning of life. What sense does it make for man to exist in a world as turbulent as this? If this seeming irrational life of revolt is what human existence is all about, wouldn’t it have been better not to be born at all? Though, philosophically, these questions form part of the perennial inquiry about existence, today’s global social order makes those questions most pertinent. It is in response to these fundamental questions of the meaning of human life that this paper proposes to examine Albert Camus’s philosophy of revolt. Life for Camus is absurd without meaning. In order to restore meaning, dignity and value to human life, three optionspresent themselves to Camus for consideration. The first is suicide; the second is to take the leap of faith in God and the third is revolt. Camus rejects the first two options as not constituting the appropriate solutions. The first option he calls literal suicide and the second option he calls philosophical suicide. The third option which he calls revolt implies a rebellion against the monstrous absurdity and meaninglessness that have characterized human existence. This for Camus is the most authentic response to the absurdity of human life.

Keywords: Revolt; Human Life; Absurd; Suicide; Rebellion.

La Construction Impersonnelle En Français Et L’apprenant Esanophone De Français

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

As French teachers, we found that Ésàn learners of French encounter grammatical problems with regard to the use of impersonal construction in French. The main aim of this study is to identify the sources of the said problems. We shall therefore offer some solutions that will facilitate the learning of impersonal construction among Ésàn and non Ésàn learners of French. The aim is also to contribute towards the general enhancement of the teaching and learning of French in Nigeria.

Keywords : Construction impersonnelle, ésànophone, sujet grammatical,
sujet réel

The Concept of Chromaticism in African Art Music: An Analysis of Selected Works of Lazarus Ekwueme

2013-08-23T16:01:22+00:00

Chromaticism can be defined in different ways. The definition of chromatics provides a standard characterization: “In melodic and harmonic analysis the term ‘chromatic’ is generally applied to notes marked with accidentals foreign to the scale of the key in which the passage is written” (Dyson & Drabkin, 2006). Most music theorists would use this as a point of departure for an extended discussion of the importance of chromaticism in relation to musical organization – including both vertical (harmonic) and horizontal (melodic) processes. It is possible that a passage modulates to a different key without a commensurate change of key signature. Consequently, an accidental may render a note consistent with this prevailing (modulated) key yet be construed as “chromatic” in light of the key signature. One difficulty with this operational definition is that it fails to distinguish “degrees” of chromaticism. For example, a chromatic passing tone might be viewed as less indicative of “chromaticism” than a structural chromatic tone. Although our operational definition of “chromatic” fails to capture all of the nuances of chromatic theory, it may nevertheless provide a practical index that characterizes the broad trends (D.Perttu,2007). The main focus of this study is to delineate the conceptual view of chromatic application in the works of Lazarus Ekweme in African Arts context. Moreover, this study sieves out the symbolic meanings of chromatics as applied in Ekweme’s Missa-Africana.