aefunai theatre arts students showcase carnival arts to promote nigerian culture, employability Students of Theatre Arts, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ebonyi State (AEFUNAI), recently highlighted its Carnival Arts course, "Introduction to Carnival Arts," through a vibrant parade featuring students in colorful, self-made traditional costumes that depicted the different tribes and tongues in the country.
This initiative aims to promote cultural preservation and develop entrepreneurial and employability skills among students. The course, a longstanding part of the department's curriculum, exposes 300 level students to various areas of life, including costume-making, choreography, make-up artistry, and carnival business. It equips them with practical skills for self-employment after graduation.
Dr. Ekuwe Ruth Epochi-Olise, the Head of the Department, emphasized the importance of the Carnival Arts course, stating that it has always been a significant part of their offerings that adds vibrancy to the campus. She reminisced about her first time overseeing the course in 2020 when students wore traditional African attires for their presentations. She noted that a recent course in theatre entrepreneurship reinforced her belief that theatre studies provide excellent prospects for self-reliance.
She observed that students personally sourced and purchased the costume materials, created the outfits themselves, and applied their own make-up, developing skills that many have successfully turned into income-generating ventures. The theatre professional further noted that students who were not directly involved in the course are inspired by their peers, many of whom aspire to replicate similar carnival initiatives in their home communities during the yuletide period, a time when many people return to their villages.
Drawing on the example of the annual Calabar Carnival, she encouraged students to bring the concept back home and use it as a means to earn a living during the festive season. Dr. Casmir Oyamuchara, the course lecturer of Carnival Arts, stated that the course is part of a larger departmental effort to prepare students for self-employment rather than relying on white-collar jobs.
He explained that graduates from the program are well-equipped to provide services in custom-made costumes, choreography, and carnival arts packaging, describing carnival arts as a viable and burgeoning industry in Nigeria and globally. Oyamuchara, who doubles as a practicing dancer with a PhD in Dance Studies, emphasized the department's philosophy of training students to create jobs and employ others rather than merely seeking employment.
He pointed out various career paths available to theatre graduates, including fashion design, choreography, directing, and carnival arts, and noted the growing number of self-employed alumni from the department. Kindness Ebere, a third-year student who participated in the showpiece, shared her thoughts on what the course and the carnival tradition mean to her. She highlighted the carnival's role in preserving culture and raising awareness of their production.
She remarked that the carnival practice helps preserve and promote the ethnic cultures while creating public awareness around indigenous traditions. Nwani Bright, another third-year student, noted that traditional attire is often not seen outside described the initiative as a way of using traditional dress, sometimes blended with contemporary Western styles, in a concept he referred to as "hybridity," to keep culture visible and relevant.
Chukwujekwu Chinaza, also a third-year student, noted that his goal was to raise awareness and to promote cultures that are indigenous to Nigeria, stressing the need for the preservation of traditions from extinction. Ogayi Chisom Joshua, another participant, described the exercise as a demonstration of students' creativity in using color and materials to represent culture. He noted that theatre students are adept at blending local fabrics into bright, colorful designs, allowing them to showcase talents and cultures often underrepresented in broader society.
He regarded the course as a valuable and important part of the curriculum. The Carnival Arts course continues to serve as a bridge between cultural preservation and practical enterprise training within AEFUNAI's Department of Theatre Arts, reinforcing the university's commitment to producing graduates who are both culturally grounded and economically self-reliant.
