Varsity don advocates promotion of music

Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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A Proffesor of Choreography and Performance Aesthetics at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti State, Prof Rasaki Bakare, has stressed the need for the government to pay more attention to the development of music, dance and drama as a means of solving the many challenges confronting the nation.

Bakare, who is also the Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in the university argued that the three instruments of entertainment if properly harnessed by the government, may solve the problems confronting the country,  especially the security challenges.

The former Cultural Officer at  the Ondo State Cultural Center, explained that in the past, music, dance and drama had proven as averitable source of succour and meaningful engagement that invariably make people, especially youths happy in other climes with similar challenges.

Delivering the second inaugural lecture of the University entitled, ” the healing properties of the performative trinity for a troubled society” at the university, said the three components of entertainment could also be used as socio-economic re-engineering strategy for the country.

He described music, dance and drama as critical .mobilising factors capable of healing the wounds in the hearts of the nation and its people.

The first professor of music claimed to have composed over 400 songs as well as written quite a number of musical works, including choreographing a total of 200 dance works, as part of his contributions to academics and entertainment since becoming a university lecturer over two decades ago.

Lamenting on how music, dance and drama has been neglected by past administrations in the country, the university Don said, music, in particular, has been acknowledged as a therapy which artists use sometimes to make sick patients get rid of their health problems.

Beyond the clinical use of music as a therapy, its communicative power through lyrics, also aids social engineering as well as act as catalyst for. behavioural change.

” This is because members of any given society require art as an avenue for self perception and self analysis so as to engender social instruments of judgment and value measurement.

” For instance, with particular focus  on the youths of Nigeria, cutting across the diverse ethnic, cultural, religious and ideological divide, dance can be used as an experimental instrument in form of carnivals, festivals, street dance and contests”, he said.

According to professor Rasaki, “dance, like the other two components of the performative trinity, communicates and administers healing, especially when the moral order of the society is ruptured and dance is deployed to the rescue”.

“ Art, with reference to the performative trinity has served as veritable alternatives to for the youths of this country in the context of positive empowerment and engagement. This has helped in the reduction of the rate of social vices in the country “.

” In critical times such as this, a country like Nigeria, where insurgency, ethnic crisis and communal clashes, among others are the order of the day, the availability of a functional arts sector helps to reduce the rate of the unfortunate results”.

” The sector also has the primary responsibility of providing creative consultancy and prevent leaders and other stakeholders from taking rash or impetuous decisions”.

Speaking at the lecture, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Kayode Soremekun commended Prof Bakare for his well structured lecture, describing him as one of the leading lights of the institution.