http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/42 2026-04-19T04:04:15Z 2026-04-19T04:04:15Z AYEYEMI, Emmanuel Kolade http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1907 2024-04-24T07:43:29Z 2023-07-01T00:00:00Z

TRANSPORTATION CHAOS ON LAGOS STREETS IN SELECTED WORKS OF LAGOS BASED VISUAL ARTISTS AYEYEMI, Emmanuel Kolade Traffic gridlock is one of the features that define urbanism and complex spatial configuration of the Lagos metropolis. Existing visual anthropological studies on urban transportation system have focused on visual analytic approaches to the visual accounts of travellers, and slogans printed on cars, buses and trucks, particularly commercial vehicles. However, little attention has been paid to the diverse ways’ transportation disorder is represented in artistic works. This study, therefore, was designed to explore the representation of transportation chaos on Lagos roads in the paintings of selected Lagos based-visual artists, with a view to providing an interpretive schema of the selected works. Douglas Kiel and Euel Elliott’s Theory of Chaos, which states that instability and disorder were essential to the evolution of complexity in the universe, was adopted as the framework. The interpretive design was used. Sixteen paintings were purposively sampled for thematic affinity, narrative and symbolic contents. They are Olokada, Keke Marwa, The New Order, and BRT Lane by Festus Adeyemi; Old Oshodi, After the Rain, Rail line Market, and At the River Side by Bolaji Ogunwo; Idumota, Morning Rush, A Place I used to Know I, and A Place I used to Know II by Ishola Matthew, Closing Time at Idumota, Before the Closing Hour, Busy Bus Stop, and Rush Hour in Lagos Island by Dolapo Ogunnusi. The paintings were subjected to visual analysis. Festus Adeyemi’s paintings, stylistically adopted the use of lines in creating forms to depict the chaos associated with Okada and Marwa riders on Lagos streets. Olokada and Keke Marwa depicted the disorder and confusion that pervaded the urban transportation system, while New Order and BRT Lane indicated orderliness. Bolaji Ogunwo, used textured surface of the canvas to showcase the chaotic experiences in the old Oshodi and other areas in Lagos with clumsy driving activities. The shades of colours authenticate the colour value in the works: After the rain and Rail line market. Ishola Matthew creatively used very warm colour of blue and purple to demonstrate the chaos on the streets of Lagos with combinations of light and dark symbolising struggling and perpetual movement of vehicles in Lagos city. Unstable forms and patterns, with heavy painting strokes in Idumota and A Place I Used to Know described not just the population challenges in Lagos, but also the urban decline that had resulted from transportation pressure. Dolapo Ogunnusi’s paintings actualised the complication in urban Lagos transportation with vivid expression to the impatience of drivers and other road users, which resulted in traffic gridlocks by structuring the forms and contents to express Lagos transportation chaos. The theme of periodicity of chaos was well elaborated in all the paintings where overlapping yellow buses conveyed the vivid image of gridlock. Transportation chaos on Lagos roads, and the values, which visual artists have generated through paintings, represent instability and disorderliness in the urban public space. The selected paintings were stylistic pieces embedded with artistic impression of reality.

2023-07-01T00:00:00Z ADEGOKE, Jimoh Niyi http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1905 2024-04-24T07:40:05Z 2023-08-01T00:00:00Z

GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF CITY WALL CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY IN OYO ILE, OYO STATE, NIGERIA ADEGOKE, Jimoh Niyi Oyo-Ile, the capital of the Old Oyo Empire located on the extreme northwest of presentday Yorubaland, Nigeria was an important polity in West Africa between the 16th and 19th centuries A.D. The city walls, in their current conditions, are in need of restoration towards conservation of the wall system. Previous archaeological investigations on the palace walls had focused on their circumference, the areas covered, description of the types of walls, and elucidation of their functions. However, limited attention has been paid to construction techniques, the composition of materials used, and the mode of emplacement of the artefacts found in the walls. The aim of the study was to investigate the construction techniques, the composition of the sediment used, and the mode of emplacement of the potsherds in the wall. A cross-section excavation was conducted on the palace wall remains which enabled the examination of the stratigraphy of the excavated units and the techniques used to build the wall and its foundation, and the collection of artefacts, and sediment samples. The sediment samples collected were subjected to granulometric analysis to determine their grain size. The pH, exchangeable cations of the sediments were determined by standard methods and minerals of the clay were determined from thin section. The mode of incorporation of the potsherds into the wall was determined using pottery analysis. Stratigraphy of the excavation showed the composition of the soil to be lateritic clay comprising a very fine-grained gravely sand thoroughly kneaded with plant fibres. The construction technique of the palace wall was no more traceable because the wall has been reduced to a massive hillock. The colour characteristics of the sediments ranged from reddish gray, yellowish red to reddish brown. The pH of the sediments ranged from 5.5- 7.5, and was consistent with the pH of the “brownearths” soil type characteristic of mixed deciduous woodland zone within which Oyo-Ile is located. The sediment was stable and resistant to erosion by the nature of its mineral assemblages (Quartz, Garnet, Tourmaline, Rutile and Rock fragment) and exchange cations (K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+). The potsherds were crude and poorly fired with thickness of 0.5-1.2 cm. The sherds were mainly undecorated and their emplacement in the wall remains was evenly spread across the stratigraphic layers. The features of the potsherds were not consistent with those used for domestic, ritual or industrial purposes; rather the sherds were intentionally added to the palace wall during construction The palace wall at Oyo-Ile was built directly on a lateritic ground as its foundation. However, the specific technique used to construct the palace wall could not be established. Potsherds were deliberately mixed with the sediments to strengthen the wall.

2023-08-01T00:00:00Z MUDASIRU, MORUFF http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1814 2024-04-18T16:04:00Z 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z

JÁLÀBÍ PRACTICE OF MUSLIM CLERICS AND THE HERMENEUTICS OF PRAYER COMMODIFICATION IN IBADAN, NIGERIA MUDASIRU, MORUFF Jálàbí, the Islamic petitionary prayer is deployed by Muslim clerics to render spiritual services to individuals and groups in a manner that forges a transactional relationship between the parties. Existing anthropological studies of everyday religious experiences have focused more on the dynamics of the “prayer economy” rather than the hermeneutics of such engagements, including Jálàbí. This study was, therefore, designed to explore the practices of Jálàbí, in Ibadan, a city with a considerably large Muslim population, with a view to determining the cultural meanings embedded in commodified prayers. Hans-Georg Gadamer’s Cultural Hermeneutics and Kitiarsa Pattana’s Religious Commodification Theory were adopted as the framework, while the ethnographic design was used. Qualitative data were obtained through participant observation, interview of 86 informants randomly selected at locations of Islamic events, and in-depth interview of 10 Oníjálàbí clerics who were purposively selected based on their long years of experience in Jálàbí, practice, advanced age, and pedigree in the Ibadan Muslim community. Data were analysed using the ethnographic description. Jálàbí practice in Ibadan was borne out of historical and pragmatic considerations that enabled the intervention of Islamic spirituality to contribute to the development of the city. The practice manifests in different religious functions and events such as naming ceremonies (‘aqīqah), Fidāu (funeral) prayers, Walīmatu-khatmil Qur’ān (Qur’ān graduation ceremonies), Islamic chieftaincy honours, and individual’s everyday quest for success and security. Meanings embedded in commodified petitionary prayers are engendered by the material forms through which Oníjálàbí operationalise (istikhārah, Khatim Waqf, Ilmul Falaky or akosejaye, and Qira’āti Subhah, among others) and the ethos of reciprocity and gratification that underlies the practice. Jálàbí, practice accords to prayer the same significance as food, which nourishes the human body and hence constitutes an item to be purchased with money. In Jálàbí, prayer is an important path to accessing Allah’s favour that requires monetary gratification for efficacy and prompt response. Moreover, the money given as Sadaqah (free-will alms), is a catalyst that not only facilitates easy access to connect with Allah but also acts as security and protection from evil attacks and other misfortunes. In naming ceremonies, monetary donations made by the congregation in exchange for petitionary prayers are meant to literally buy barakah (divine blessings) for the newborn baby. Money collected during Qur’ān graduation ceremonies (Walīmatu-khatmil Qur’ān) is interpreted in the context of fees paid for knowledge acquisition and a way of giving back to the clerics. Jálàbí, prayer intercessions are equated with traditional native medicines whose value and effectiveness are believed to be proportional to the amount expended. The commodification involved in the petitionary prayer of the Oníjálàbí and their clients (religious consumers) goes beyond economic transactions in Ibadan, Nigeria. It also illustrates the spiritual values which people placed on prayers as human security and a weapon against earthly principalities in a precarious state.

2022-12-01T00:00:00Z OLARINMOYE, ADEYINKA WULEMAT http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1452 2022-02-22T12:28:12Z 2021-06-01T00:00:00Z

ECO-CULTURAL VALUES OF THE ARCHITECTURE OF FULANI HOMESTEADS IN OKE-OGUN, OYO STATE, NIGERIA OLARINMOYE, ADEYINKA WULEMAT The discourse of nomadism and its attendant socio-economic implications is a central theme in the ethnography of the Fulani. Existing anthropological studies have focused on the socio-economy of cattle herding and settlement patterns, devoting little or no attention to the ecological and cultural significance of the unique architecture of the Fulani homesteads. This study was, therefore, designed to investigate the adaptiveness of the homesteads of Fulani settlers, with a view to determining the roles that stable and sedentary lifestyles play in the evolution of their architecture. Acculturation Theory was adopted as framework, while the ethnographic design was used. Tede, Shaki, and Iseyin in Oke-Ogun area in Oyo State were purposively selected for the study because of its large population of Fulani settlers. Qualitative data were obtained through participant observation, thirteen key informant interviews conducted with elderly Fulani in the selected communities, 7 Focus Group Discussions sessions with young men, and In-depth interviews with ninety-six randomly selected residents. Data were analysed using ethnographic description. Fulani settlers in the Oke-Ogun area evolved a unique category of architectural designs that distinguished their dwelling places from those of the host communities. The architectural forms depicted a process of incorporation triggered by a combination of environmental and cultural factors such as climate change and building technology. Three forms of design―traditional, hybrid and contemporary―attested to contending forces of conservatism and modernisation. In terms of settlement pattern, buildings were still arranged in a patri-local fashion whereby the homestead place of the oldest male member of the household became the centre of activities and around which other buildings were organised. Elements of cultural continuity occurred in the retention of the “baa shiga” (no entry) model, although this is disappearing in recently built homesteads. Huts were deliberately located with precisions in ways that fostered relationships and social interactions among members. And with the scarcity of the preferred Beere (elephant grass), used for building, Fulani settlers employed all sorts of fudo (grass) and other synthetic materials in the construction of their homesteads. The grass for building are no longer imported from Ilorin as used to be the case, but are now cultivated locally. There is significant movement away from the cylindrical form of housing construction to square shape form of their Yoruba host. Socio-cultural values embedding religion, gender, economy and ecology were retained in the architectural designs of settlements and building styles. The social imagery of their public space is largely Northern in appearance and in feel, depicting an Islamic motif and ambience. There is evidence of acculturation process going on among the settled Fulani in Oke Ogun; which suggests that Fulani are amenable to changes within their eco-cultural system. These changes are responses to local climatic conditions and influence of gradual assimilation of Oke-Ogun culture. The design of their new architecture will be of value to cultural interchange in Nigeria.

2021-06-01T00:00:00Z