Dele Jegede talking to Prince Yemisi Shyllon

In this last piece of the 3 part series coming from the Toyin Falola Intervies with Prince Yemisi Shyllonwe will examine glaring issues raised during the conversation between Professor Dele Jegede and the guest. It is a fitting coincidence that the dissection of this portion of the interview session begins with a discussion point synonymous with what served as the conclusionthing aspect of the second play in the series. In the last piece I outlined a reawakening action plan from the concept of art and society, That could easily revive Nigeria from the destructive slumber it is in. However, for such a plan to work, cooperation between the people and the government is necessary; the role of the government in the implementation of that plan is as crucial as that of the citizen. Then the puzzle which serves as the opening of Professor Jegede’s session: art and government, specifically, the Nigerian government.

In Nigeria, culture, arts, creative arts and tourism fall under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culturee, guided currently by means of Alhaji Lai Mohammed. In 2019, four years after the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s president, Lai Mohammed unveiled plans to, as he said, “within the next four years, transform Nigeria’s arts, culture and tourism industries into Nigeria’s new oil.” This year 2023 marks the last year for that plan, and it sufficed the to say that 95% of the projects outlined have yet to be started or completed – from the promised annual National Summit for Culture and Tourism to the Endowment Fund for the Arts, the promised National Day of Tourism, the Regional Summit on Culture and Tourism, and other grand plans the minister made. There is no denying that the ministry’s focus over the past 8 years of the Buhari government has been largely one-sided – more on information than culture.

This is problematic for the Nigerian state as culture is more important than information; it is believed to shape the way information is passed on and received, and since little to no efforts have been made to reinforce the existence of unified cultural values ​​in the country, the resulting effect could be a misinterpretation of information received can be. Professor Jegede raised a thought-provoking point in his opening question: For the Nigerian government – ​​through its Ministry of Information and Culture – art, culture and tourism are nothing but optics; there is no real basis for reviving, sustaining or promoting these things. Rather, they are terminologies used to show that the aspect of the ministry, words without correspondingly substantially deeds.

Without mincing words, Prince Shyllon has tapped into the foundations of this worrying problem in Nigeria, that culture is largely considered a synonym for traditional religion, and religion is just one of several aspects of culture. As said before, culture is an amalgamation of all aspects of a people’s life – it is alive; the breathes, grows, evolves and will be added. For example, systemic corruption has fast found its way into Nigerian culture. Culture extends beyond religion; it is,therefore, a wrong approach for Nigerians to regard culture as the sole religion. This false equivalence causes a dissociative attitude among the people, many of whom are Christians or Muslims who, because of their adopted faith, do not want to have any connection with the traditional religions. However, the claim that culture is the same as religion couldn’t be further from the truth; and it only serves to hinder the growth, preservation and promotion of cultures in Nigeria, as peoples of different ethnicities are expect them to fully embrace their culture and cultural practices, they do not. The average person in Lagos or Port Harcourt is far away of the reality of cultural festivals in their regions.

This one secretion from a culture based on the false equivalence of culture to religion also causes many to refrain from actively acknowledging and adopting cultural values ​​that would have served as a portal to reduce societal vices. The concepts of contentment, virtue, community, charity, goodness, and kindness, among other things, are embedded in the cultural values ​​of ethnic groups across the country – from the Yoruba to the Igbo to the Hausa to the Tiv. However, these values ​​are lost due to the lack of cultural cohesion between the peoplea calamity that can be directly linked to the conscious decision of the people to renounce cultural preferences and participation.

This fundamental problem also affects the government’s approach to culture, as the government is inherently made up of Nigerians, who most likely share the views and prejudices of the other Nigerians., predominantly considering art as religion. Moreover, this problem extends to how the people react to the government’s handling and lack of attention to the art and culture branch of the said ministry. If the people are not motivated enough to actively demand a revamp of the culture, arts and tourism industries and if there are no advocates for this revamp, the government might as well apparently turn a blind eye the work that needs to be done.

In Nigeria, two elements of culture – art and music – have been some of the biggest image makers for the country in the international space, even amidst the name-wagging effects of corruption, internet fraud and illegal migration that have largely negatively affected the image of the country. Nigerian music – especially Afrobeat – has received much acclaim and recognition in the international space. Nigerian Artists – Literary, Visual, Creative, and perform – also do heroic deeds in poetry, prose, and bring artwork fame and glory to the country. If properly invested and utilized, these forms of art in Nigeria can serve as a way to boost the country’s economy, international exposure and recognition, as well as create a global ecosystem that supports the country rewards for its culture and art.

It requires a reorientation of the Nigerian people on what culture is, its different aspects, and the potential of cultural elements if they are used properly for the country to arrive at a profitable system. It goes on purely representative a plan to make art the country’s new oil. That just echoes Professor Jegede said that art and culture are nothing but a means of publicity and propaganda in the country. A refocus like this is what the Yoruba Cultural Center in Dallas is doing, investing time, money and resources in teaching different elements of Yoruba culture to Yoruba people in the diaspora, many of whom would not have had access to their cultural roots and identity without an institution like this.

There is an argument in progress, but with no data at the moment, that the average consistent visitor to the Yoruba Cultural Center in Dallas eventually would ability have a deeper knowledge of Yoruba proverbs, maxims, art, dance, and festivals – in short, culture – than an average Yoruba person living in Nigeria. As this new argument goes, tThe only advantage a Yoruba person living in Nigeria could have over the average person learning from the center in Texas is the fluent pronunciation and language use, which is largely due to the frequency of use of the language in Nigeria, compared to the United States – a Yoruba person in Nigeria would have more access to Yoruba people, which would improve communication and language skills.

Considering, however, that there has been a serious departure from cultural roots and that the younger generation’s knowledge of customs, proverbs, expressions and maxims, traditional dances and other core elements of Yoruba culture has been eroded, the average Nigerian Yorubais now feared, would not match the student’s knowledge the to spread. This phenomenon is not exclusive to studentst just the Yoruba Cultural Center in Dallas. Foreign Students of Yoruba Language and Culture at University of Ibadan Yoruba Language Center will also defeat many indigenous Yoruba people using expressions and knowledge of the culture.

This is due to the indigenous people are largely divergent from learning about their culture and the deep levels of the language beyond the surface, everyday use on the streets of Lagos or in palm–wine stalls in Ondo. Restrictive the culture of a people to their religion and language is dangerousbut this is one of them Nigeria’s Biggest Problems. So much so that people think they have enough knowledge of their culture if they can speak the language of their ethnic group. There is a This requires government intervention. Howeverthe problem goes beyond government and requires the readiness of people. An example of this is a long-standing government intervention for cultural inclusion – the National Youth Service Corps. Today this plan has been corrupted, and year in and year out, the country is witnessing a massive redeployment of corps members who are unwilling to live among Nigerians of other cultures and ethnicities for just one year. This says so much about how culture is perceived among Nigerians and some of the reasons why the country is where it is today in terms of cohesion and national unity.

Cultural institutions in Nigeria serve the purpose of existence rather than having a specific essence. This is further reflected in the way these institutions are managed. The directors of the cultural institutions in the country do not see their role as outside their duties; there is no underlying zeal for the promotion and dissemination of culture and the arts. Therefore, they perform their duties when required, but never go out of their way to lure people into their institutions. In this age of internet frenzy and social media buzz, how many of our cultural institutions in Nigeria have an online footprint? How many of them are trying their best to reach young Nigerians? How many do everything they can to remain visible and relevant?

The task ahead of us Nigerians – the people and the government – ​​is to see culture as an all-encompassing cover for our existence and identity as a people, and to make an effort to prevent that cloak from being ripped any further. repair. We will get closer to redeeming this country when we paid attention to rescuing and rescuing the Nigerian culture and bringing a unified Nigerian culture forward.

(This is the third and last part from the interview report with Prince Yemisi Shyllon performed on January 15, 2023. For the transcriptssee:

YouTube https://youtube.com/watch?v=QFMbXx6aRE4;

Facebook https://fb.watch/i458cu7phB/)