Importance of art in Nigeria
What is the importance of art in the development of the modern society in Nigeria? Art is a part of life that plays a whole number of roles and executes a range of functions. What makes art so irreplaceable in the life of people? Below, we will to figure out why art is such a vital component of any highly developed human society.
Source: UGC
The esthetic role of art in Nigeria and the life of Nigerians
The most important thing about art is its ability to depict the world and touch the spiritual inner self of every person deeply. Its importance is in the ability to use people’s efforts and talents to create something beautiful and amazing to all senses.
Source: UGC
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Art has to do with the creation, storage, and transmission of symbols and values, which are non-material, which are spiritual. These are cultural values of the society and they have a positive meaning for the members of the society and the members of other ones.
These values play the role of landmarks in the lives of people. The idea of these values changes with times and locations. For instance, in antique epochs beauty, symmetry and truth were the highest values. Christian ones differ – they involve faith, hope, and love. In the modern era, intellect has the highest value in the majority of societies.
The impact of art on Nigerian society
Source: UGC
History has seen many times when the perception of beauty became an immediate moving force for major changes in lifestyle and for new achievements. The art of today in the Nigerian society, just like in many other societies of the world, is a powerful mechanism, which helps people communicate with the outer world and better understand their inner self.
The art of today know no stagnation. The modern art has the power that allows it to open talents of the new time. Backed up by the society, it discovers new horizons. It depicts all the problems of the modern world – its fears, emotions, stressful situations, etc.
Source: UGC
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The society, in its turn, uses art to help people start thinking about their role in the world and the meaning of their lives under the quickly changing and so ambiguous conditions of the modern epoch. The rapid development of technologies keeps us constantly in touch with art, especially via the Internet. The closer people are to the art, the closer they are to themselves. The more harmonic they are with themselves, the more harmonic the entire society will be.
If we slightly distract our attention from the spiritual meaning of art for the Nigerian society, we will see that the industry of entertainment and art make up a big part of the economy of the country. Now, the industry of movies and music recording called Nollywood is world’s third industry of this type based on the quality and the quantity of its product. Apart from the economic component, this sphere of industry is also a component of the national Nigerian pride.
Source: UGC
The art and entertainment industry has played a big role in another part of the economy of the country – the development of tourism. More and more people discover Nigeria owing to its movies and music. More and more people get to know about the culture of Nigerians and their traditional arts and arrive to watch them live. From this point of view, festivals and carnivals that are held in different states are a great part of the Nigerian local art and a big attraction for tourists.
Movies are a huge collection of cultural artifacts and the popularity of Nollywood movies does nothing else but popularizes the culture, customs, and traditions of the country. Even though the plots are different, the majority of Nigerian movies shows the young generations how important moral values are and how they should be cherished.
The art in Nigeria as a social engineering tool
Source: UGC
The aesthetic side is vital in every area of life. Since artists have always been the ones with the most unusual thinking and perception of life, they are often the developers and inventors of something revolutionary new. Leonardo da Vinci invented a whole range of things, starting with architectural findings and ending with aviation.
These ideas are still in use today and many new ones are being invented. Now, the technical aspect goes side by side with the atheistic component. The factories that develop automobiles, boats, trains, and even planes always have departments that are in charge for the aesthetic side of each project. It’s impossible to sell a car if it’s not aesthetically attractive to the audience, no matter how fast it is.
It works in the opposite way, too. Sometimes, the invention of artists forces engineers and technologists to create of something new and unusual. For instance, many items of the modern interiors were created not by engineers first but by artists. Having a desirable shape, engineers were able to fill it with a certain content.
Source: UGC
All this leads to a predictable result. The more attractive a thing is, the more desirable it is to people and with more readiness they purchase it. The production of attractive items can help the economy run high in a very quick manner. Take a look at the USA and the plenty of items they produce in all areas, starting from incredible attractive food products and ending with the masterpieces of their technological inventions.
The art of creation and the art of advertising can sell practically everything, engaging huge amounts of money and helping the country prosper. Information technologies and their selling possibilities are often underestimated and not only in Nigeria. It’s very important to give this channel a lot of attention and aim at its further development as it’s able to make Nigeria and the products of its art known to the world.
The importance of arts education in Nigeria
Source: UGC
Education in arts is vital for Nigerian children. It helps them develop their creative talents and intelligence. Young people with a developed artistic sense are often able to start their own businesses instead of searching for regular jobs sought for by many candidates.
However, arts education has never been as popular as it is now. Parents used to think (and convince their children) that arts are for the ones who can’t do anything with their own hands, for lazy ones. They have never believed that art is a thing that can bring money and let a person lead a well-off life.
Source: UGC
The current situation has not changed much. The high-quality materials for creativity, such as drawing tools, for example, are rather expensive and not all students are able to enjoy them. Even universities and art schools can’t always afford materials of high quality or even having a good studio with a proper lighting and a water supply.
Still, all these facts speak rather of the need to draw more attention to the popularization of arts in Nigeria. For instance, it’s necessary that the government provides guaranteed workplaces for the students who have completed their education in arts.
More attention to arts and their development can help the Nigerian society grow just as it deserves.
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Source: Legit.ng
