Among the Yoruba there is always interesting behavioural change in the way people go about the burial activities. Such behavioural change usually interchanges concurrently by reflecting love and respect for the dead on the one hand and dread and despair on the other hand. Along with this is the issue of festivities usually tagged as 'befitting burial' which they see as mandatory for positive repercussion on those left behind by the dead based on their belief that the dead have power over the living. While this seems very interesting, most of the studies on death and funeral in developing societies (of which Yorubaland in southwest Nigeria is inclusive) are mostly historical in nature and for complete appreciation of cultural heritage in traditional societies. This study, which took place in Kisi town, Oyo State, Nigeria is therefore transcending the regular studies on death and funeral which are limited to showcasing cultural heritage by looking at its touristic perspective. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to source for primary data from the residents of Kisi town. Questionnaire was adopted for quantitative and complemented with observation as a qualitative tool. A total of 100 respondents were sampled from the community and a copy of questionnaire was administered on each of them. The data collected were analysed and interpreted in frequency and simple percentage. The results showed that virtually all the respondents (99%) have either attended and/or witnessed funeral activities before. People participated in funeral activities because they served as avenues for social get-together (52%); channels for uniting with old friends (69%) and viable outlets for making new social contacts (49%). Some of the perceived benefits inherent in funeral activities included social bonding (30%), social control and moral readjustment (20%), spiritual stability (16%). Others saw the benefits as being in the forms of outlets for marketing goods and services (12%), avenue for leisure and recreation (22%). The novel aspects of funeral activities were intermittent crying and cracking of jokes when occasion demands; voluntary wailing and crying by the sympathizers; occasional hot disagreement over simple issue like sharing of food. At the point where the stage was already set for merriment, food and drinks flow easily while dancing became feverish and frenzied. At this stage it was always difficult to assume that people that were wailing and crying incessantly are those now wriggling their bodies to the rhythm of the music being supplied. Recommendations were also made in line with the findings of the study.
Night entertainment as a form of leisure and relaxation is not a strange phenomenon globally, it is also gaining prominence in Nigeria particularly in urban centre. Scholars have discussed the prospects of this brand of entertainment in terms of its economic and social rewards, but most of these efforts are foreign based. This study studied the situation in Abuja in Nigeria. The study was quantitative in approach and has questionnaire as its main tool of data collection. A total 100 respondents were involved in the study. The data collected were analyzed, interpreted and presented in simple percentage. Night entertainment was preferred because the period is unique, devoid of hustle and bustle commonly found in the day time (17%) and has power to enhance total wellbeing, opportunity to make business contacts (19%). Live Musical band (42%), wining and dining (34%), indoor game (14%) and comedy corner (10%) were the preferred activities. Challenges encountered in night entertainment include harassment by the law enforcement agents (36%), stigmatization on the part of the general populace (22%) and occasional disturbance due to unruly behaviour of some patrons (30%). Coping measures adopted to mitigate these challenges include moving in group with other patrons to prevent or minimise embarrassment (43%), possession of official identity card to prevent harassment from security agents (36%) and enlightenment of service of security agents to curtail unruly behaviour from patrons (21%).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.