TALKING DRUMS: MAPPING OUT THE TERRITORY OF USES AND DEMARCATING THE REGION OF ABUSES IN SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

The paper assessed the uses and abuses of talking drums in south-western Nigeria. A host of African communication scholars and ethno-communicologists have ignored the abuses of talking drums, focusing all their research attention on the functions and uses of the talking drums in the south-west, Nigeria and Africa.However, in a bid to bridge this research gap, the researcher made effort to interview local drummers in Oyo town, who revealed many abuses of talking drums. Development media theory was adopted to explain issues in this research study. Development media theory posits that for the development to be attained in Africa, local media must give a priority attention to local cultures and languages. The paper recommended that Government through the National University Commission should re-visit the curricular of Mass Communication programmes, Theatre and Media Arts programmes, Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo Language Programmes and Anthropology and Sociology programmes in Nigerian Universities. There must be a course, in the course curricular of tertiary institutions, solely dedicated and named DRUMMUNICATION STUDIES in our universities and polytechnics, including the Colleges of Education to sustain and uphold the life of talking drums in Nigeria and Africa. The study also recommended that the dying cultural days in our primary and secondary schools must be returned.