A Professor of Dramatic Literature and Film Studies at the Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Oja Paul Egwemi, has called for a fundamental review of performance curricula to address Nigeria’s complex social, economic and political challenges.
Egwemi made the call while delivering the 27th inaugural lecture of the university titled, “The Gowns We Wear, The Towns We Go: Rethinking Performance Curricula for Development in Nigeria Amid a Polycrisis,” on Tuesday at the University Auditorium.
The professor proposed a Polycrisis-Responsive Curricular Theatre for Development Model to bridge the gap between academic training and community realities.
He said despite decades of training and investment in drama and film, much of what is taught in academic halls had failed to translate into practices that respond to immediate realities confronting local communities.
According to him, Nigeria is currently navigating a polycrisis – a set of interconnected and mutually reinforcing challenges across governance, economic instability, insecurity, environmental stress and social fragmentation.
Egwemi argued that theatre must not remain enclosed within institutional walls, noting that when embedded in university curricula, Theatre for Development serves as both a pedagogical philosophy and an ethical stance that connects theoretical scholarship with lived social realities.
He described TfD as a vital pathway to responsible scholarship, where movement from classroom to community becomes a two-way learning process in which the university and local communities act as co-creators of knowledge.
Presenting findings from past curricular TfD projects, the inaugural lecturer cited the 2019 Ayah project, where students and residents used participatory needs assessment to tackle failures in the local school system, healthcare, water and market structures.
He said while community committees kept the local school functional, water and market initiatives stalled due to weak maintenance and inadequate follow-up, showing that long-term community ownership determines sustainability.
On the 2021 Odolu project, Egwemi revealed that while community participation was strong during problem identification, it declined during script development and rehearsals due to changing storylines, domestic responsibilities and language barriers.
He stressed that consultation does not automatically translate to genuine participation, recommending that community members remain active collaborators from research through to post-performance dialogue and follow-up.
For the 2022 Ofabo project in Ofu Local Government Area, he reported that participatory research uncovered that a severe local water crisis stemmed from neglect, limited public awareness and excessive dependence on government intervention.
The don highlighted the interdisciplinary potential of TfD, noting that collaboration with fields such as Microbiology for scientific water testing and partnerships with external non-governmental organisations could strengthen technical support and project longevity.
He also referenced the 2024/2025 TfD programme in Ajagwumu, Dekina LGA, as evidence of the continued evolution of community-based performance in addressing pressing local issues.
Egwemi explained that the proposed PRCTfD model rests on five pillars – participatory knowledge production, interdisciplinary collaboration, digital and community communication integration, sustainability through community ownership, and impact evaluation with reflective learning.
He said universities must move away from short-term, semester-bound projects and invest in continuous, context-sensitive engagement that equips students to become reflective and socially conscious practitioners.
According to him, the gown (academic authority) and the town (lived experience) must interact continuously, ensuring that academic expertise listens to and learns from community wisdom.
He recommended that university, state and national bodies provide sustained administrative coordination, funding and structural backing to integrate TfD into critical sectors such as health, education, environment and governance.
Egwemi further proposed that evaluation metrics for performance studies should expand beyond conventional academic metrics to value relational outcomes, process depth and long-term community impact.
He cited indigenous media, folk traditions and local languages as essential communication tools that should be prioritised over externally imposed or purely technical performance structures.
He stressed that performance education must not be reduced to mere entertainment or economic utility, but must serve as a national development imperative to build civic consciousness, foster dialogue and inspire collective action.
Earlier, Chairman of the Inaugural Lecture Committee, Prof. S.S. Arogba, congratulated Egwemi on attaining the distinguished academic milestone and commended his contributions to scholarship in Dramatic Literature and Film Studies.
In an address delivered on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman, by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Rufai Sani Abdullahi, the lecture was described as a significant institutional milestone coming barely one week after the 26th edition.
Abdullahi noted that the lecture was the 10th inaugural lecture delivered under the current administration since assumption of office on February 11, 2026, describing the sustained momentum as proof of a vibrant research culture taking root in the university.
He congratulated Egwemi on his scholarly accomplishments and commended him for addressing the critical gap between academic training and community needs.
He said bridging the distance between the “gowns we wear” and the “towns we go” is a vital national development imperative, emphasising that performance education must travel the final mile to serve humanity.
Abdullahi added that the lecture offered valuable perspectives for educators, policymakers and creative practitioners as the nation seeks evidence-based solutions to its complex societal challenges.
He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to sustaining rigorous scholarship, teaching excellence and purposeful knowledge dissemination.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of a certificate, plaque and medal to the inaugural lecturer.
The lecture was attended by members of the University Governing Council, management and Senate, academic and non-teaching staff, students, scholars from other institutions, religious and traditional leaders, and other distinguished guests.
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