Investigating the Gender of God: Theatre Design in Pursuance of Gender Equality in Nigeria

Abstract

This is a critical study in response to the social effects of gender conflicts in Africa, with reference to Nigeria. The subject of gender has continued to generate divergent opinions among scholars and gender practitioners whereas this concept is only man-made and is not fundamental to the primordial concepts which lay theoretical claims to the origin of the human race. The objective of the study, therefore, is to offer a timely intervention in order to forestall an eventual withdrawal of the female gender from Theatre Design. The theoretical framework considers the anti-western premise, juxtaposed alongside the biblical account of human origin, which confers the designation: “man” on all human beings regardless of gender, applauding the pre-colonial communal status of the African woman. The research methodology involved In-Depth Interview (IDI) and Participatory Observation. Thus, the findings, through qualitative and quantitative analysis, show that there is conflict, between the male and female genders in Nigeria, resulting from what Illah called “Freudian slight and organised intellectual second fiddling” by the female gender (xiii). The conclusion is that balance in gender activism will enhance equal gender participation in theatrical design on the Nigerian stage.

Keywords: Gender, Theatre Design, Equality, Man.