Editorial Note
Editorial Note
The Benin Journal of Music and the Arts (BENJMA), which was established in 2021, is a publication of the Music Programme of the Department of Theatre Arts, Faculty of Arts, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. BENJMA operates an open access policy of internet publication to facilitate easy accessibility and wide readership, and also produces complimentary print versions to meet the desire of readers who would want to obtain hard copies as alternative
and/or supplementary acquisitions. BENJMA is designed to publish at least one (1) Issue yearly, and to undertake the publication of Special Issues from time to time when the need arises.
BENJMA receives and publishes well-researched scholarly articles in music and the arts to promote scholarship and support the dissemination of research findings at local and global levels. It provides the forum for discourses on the historical, contemporary, and evolving subject matters that would serve as bases for the formation of future perspectives, the making of impactful predictions, and the galvanisation of developmental ideas.This present publication, Volume 1, is the maiden edition of BENJMA published in May 2022. This volume is a kaleidoscope of articles on music and the arts, featuring twelve (12) articles from a range of thematic areas such as musical syncretism, traditional festival, music education, music administration, church music, music copyright, music in drama, music in literature, music in movie, theatre for development (tfd), and aesthetics. Readers would most assuredly find the articles interesting, informative, educative, and thought-provoking.
Volume 1 , May 2022
Modern day mass media technologies have significantly diminished the functions of the traditional systems of information sharing, socialising, cultural transfer and the mobilisation of social and political activities in many African societies. The Urhobo of the Niger-Delta have a number of these traditional indigenous systems (or practices) including oral literature, music, drumming, symbolic presentations, markets, village gatherings, and town-criers to perform communication functions within their sociocultural systems.
Traditional Benin dress and accessories constitute one of West Africa's most layered and historically significant systems of cultural expression. Each element of Benin dress - from the coral bead regalia of the Oba to the ceremonial wrappers of titled chiefs and the wedding attire of Benin brides - carries encoded meanings that communicate identity, authority, spirituality, and social hierarchy.
This study examines how digital transformation is reshaping the performing arts in Nigeria and Africa. It synthesises data on digital infrastructure, distribution channels, production technologies, policy frameworks, and cultural inclusion to assess opportunities and challenges in theatre, live performance, and film. The paper is structured into thematic sections, each grounded in current literature and data.
This paper investigates the evolution of Nigerian drama as a medium for environmental activism, specifically addressing the ecological disruptions triggered by petroleum extraction in the Niger Delta. Through a comparative textual analysis of J. P.
In recent years, the convergence of culture, digital communication and corporate branding has gained much research interest. The use of cultural resources has become a key communication practice in a competitive environment as organisations look for innovative methods to connect with diverse audiences in a digital space.