Beyond Entertainment: Nigerian Festivals as Dialogical Platforms for Inclusive Communication

Abstract

This study explored four major Nigerian festivals - Durbar (North), Awankere (South-South), Osun-Osogbo (West), and the New Yam Festival (East) as platforms for inclusive communication. Grounded in Cultural Communication Theory (CCT) and Participatory Communication Theory (PCT), the research examined how festivals operate as living communication systems that transmit values, reinforce identity, and foster dialogue across generations. Data were drawn from secondary sources, scholarly works, and media-based interviews with community members. Findings showed that these festivals illustrate that Nigerian cultural traditions transcend entertainment, serving instead as dialogical and participatory events where symbols, rituals, and performances create shared meaning across social classes and generations. The study concludes that festivals in Nigeria remain vital channels of cultural preservation, community participation, inclusive dialogue between tradition and modernity, and as a code for identification.

Keywords: Cultural identity, Dialogical platforms, Inclusive communication, Nigerian festivals, Tradition and Modernity

DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/111-05

Publication date: March 30^th 2026