orifah samson | University of Ibadan (original) (raw)

Papers by orifah samson

Theatre has become a tool for resolving different forms of conflicts in the society, either direc... more Theatre has become a tool for resolving different forms of conflicts in the society, either directly or indirectly. Marital conflict is one of the commonest problems in human existence. This study looks at the prime of place theatre occupies in the resolution of marital conflict. In order to achieve this, Zulu Sofola’s The Sweet Trap and J.P. Clark’s The Wives’ Revolt are selected to look at the causes, types of marital conflict and the resolution strategies adopted. The study is also anchored on the General Escalation Theory and The Theory of Role and Mask. For instance, J.P.Clark’s The Wives’ Revolt reveals that the African patriarchal system which supports wholly male dominance in decision making process in economic matters, resulting from the compensation money not shared rationally, could be a major crisis source in marital life. On the other hand, Zulu Sofola’s The Sweet Trap shows that lack of submission and respect for husbands’ decisions is a major source of marital conflict. While the traditional method of conflict resolution is applied in The Sweet Trap, the women take a radical approach by staging a walk-out to force their husbands to agree with their terms and demands in The Wives’ Revolt. The study, therefore, recommends that since theatre could be instrumental in resolving marital conflict directly or indirectly, there should be more studies on the role of theatre in conflict resolution.

It is quite interesting to note that post-mortem is not only available in orthodox medicine but a... more It is quite interesting to note that post-mortem is not only available in orthodox medicine but also
in African traditional culture and communication media. Different means of carrying out
spiritual autopsy among Africans exist. This is what this paper terms “traditional post-mortem”
(TPM). This paper, however, looks at the use and abuse of the traditional post-mortem, a unique
means of interaction between the living and the dead in Ekpe community as reflective of such
practice in Okpameriland in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. Different
ways of its manipulation in contemporary age likened to „spiritual gagging‟ and gate-keeping
constitute abuse. Some limitations/socio-cultural implications of this abuse are also highlighted.
Data was collected through interview and participant observation. The theoretical frameworks
relevant to this discourse are the media system dependency, uncertainty reduction and uses and
gratification. It is observed that TPM will remain long in use among the people because it is a
sine qua non for all burials replete with socio-communicative uses which science/foreign
religions cannot supplant. The contemporary admissibility of information generated from extramundane
communication in Nigerian courts beams a ray of hope.

This paper collected data on the different names of God in the different languages in Edo State, ... more This paper collected data on the different names of God in the different languages in Edo State, Nigeria. The findings reflect the multilingual nature of Edo State, even though there appears to be similarities between some languages. This was done through interview of at least three to four persons from the identified tribes in order to confirm that the collected data are correct and reliable.

It is the general perception that Akoko-Edo local government area speaks Yoruba and is mono-lingu... more It is the general perception that Akoko-Edo local government area speaks Yoruba and is mono-lingual. Akoko-Edo could be said to be the linguistic coat of many colours as there are more than ten languages indigenous to the local government area. In other words, Yoruba is a lingua franca and a language of wider communication among the different ethnic groups which speak different languages. Every ten yards speaks a different language such that neighbours need Yoruba, Pidgin English or English to bridge the linguistic gap.

This study investigated the attitudes of youths towards the use of indigenous languages on Edo Br... more This study investigated the attitudes of youths towards the use of indigenous languages on Edo Broadcasting Service Radio and Television. This was in reaction to the alarming reports of about poor attitudes towards indigenous language use in the electronic media which take the larger part of the time of youths coupled with the fact indigenous languages are not promoted by electronic media...