Content and Editorials

Abstract

Editorial
The articles in this current issue of Lagos Notes and Records cut across various academic disciplines and together the authors bring to the fore refreshing perspectives in the fields of music, history, linguistics, philosophy and literature. 
 
The first paper is Olaoluwa Senayon’s insightful analysis of the background to Wole Soyinka’s activism. He argues that childhood experience and the revolutionary tendencies of personalities such as Mr and Mrs Kuti had a profound influence on Soyinka’s activism during his adult years. O. O. Badejo’s paper is a critique of the principle of Bivalence challenging the submissions of scholars such as Aristotle and Lukaseiewicz noting that Bivalence is not limited in scope since it can accommodate contingent statements. In a similar vein, Richard Taye Oyelakin challenges Grice-Strawson/Putman’s defence of the Analytic-Synthetic distinctions. The author is convinced that the grounds of arguments presented by both scholars are insufficient to justify the distinction. 
 
From a philosophical perspective, Babatunde Jegede analyses the problem of political instability in Africa. While he accepts that there have been efforts to address the problem in the past, he insists that there is a need to understand their nature, sources and causes. 
 
The literary section of this issue begins with Jonas Akung and Azubike Iloeje’s analysis of Kaine Agary’s Yellow-Yellow showing the interface between ecology, crime and poor leadership on the quality of life among the Niger Delta communities. The analysis also examines how the women have been affected by these three variables. Women remain the major focus in Adedeji Omoteso’s article as she analyses the demonization of black women and the myth of their sexuality as portrayed in several works of prose by Jose Lins De Regos. She argues that the portrayal of women in these works is stereotypical and racist and more importantly, reflects the prevalence of racial antagonism in Brazil. Olakunbi Olasope and Sola Adeyemi focus on Moria Buffini’s Welcome to Thebes using this to investigate how war and the efforts to resolve them demythologizes the global state exposing the insularity and complacency of the ruling powers. 
 
Onuora Nweke continues the focus on human behaviour by using psychoanalytical principles to identify the behavioural traits that establish the protagonists as victims of melancholia in Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day. In the analysis, the author is able to establish that social and unconscious factors are both responsible for behavioural traits. Olujide Gbadegesin reviews the traditional Yoruba concepts of morality and how these relate to abundant life, highlighting how these conceptions have been altered by modern influences. He then advocates a return to traditional concepts of morality among the Yoruba. From the Egyptian conception of the Ma’at  and as depicted by Ayi kwei Armah in Osiris Rising and KMT, Fouad Mami believes that Africans can advance the concept to foster cultural understanding and reverse dysfunctional issues such as violent conflicts.
 
The language and linguistic section starts with Kofo Adedeji’s analysis of the phonetic and phonological variation between RP and Nigerian English accent. Her research which involves students from British and Nigerian universities concludes that intelligibility is a phenomenon which can be explored from a non-native speaker perspective. Lendzemo Yuka and Oby Okolocha explore the theme of ‘lexical starvation’ in the field of linguistics. They both note that the ‘lexical starvation’ of African Children is partly a consequence of colonial interference in the natural affairs of Africans indicating the dynamic nature of lexicons.
 
Ijeoma Forchu contends that there is a correlation between age and musical preference and such preferences influence behavioural patterns. The author focuses on adolescents in Enugu and reveals that rhythm is a major determinant for choice of music among them. Focusing on another dimension of music, Femi Adedeji identifies the various forms of traditional African music including the religious, classical, ethnic and neo-traditional categories. He shows in his analysis of African traditional music that dance is the closest of all the arts to music. Stephen Olusoji’s paper explores the contemporary Nigerian music scene and suggests how the Nigerian music industry can be made more culturally relevant and economically viable in line with global standards.
 
The section on historical reviews opens with Aduke Ekundayo’s article on O’kunland. He posits that intergroup relations were largely disrupted in O’kunland during the Nupe times and under the British Administration owing to reforms, which tended to ignore the existing nature of power relations between the various segments of the communities. The factors leading to the emergence of the educated elite in Sierra Leone and how Western education changed the lifestyle of the returnee African slaves in the colony is the focus in Faiza Senouci-Meberbeche’s article. She notes that Western education brought with it European culture and this allowed the Africans in the Sierra Leone colony to cope with the challenges that accompanied colonial rule. In a related theme, the author shows the influence of intellectual and missionaries on West African nationalism by examining the education and missionary exploits of the James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey in the Gold Coast. The author shows that although Africans acquired western education and supported missionary work, they eventually developed a strong sense of cultural nationalism and were capable of making civic decisions.
 
The collection of articles in this issue demonstrates the tradition of excellence that previous issues represent.Various issues of human interest are explored by scholars in the French Language. The first is Sule Lawani’s article, which emphasizes that literary works are additional dimensions that foster the phenomenon of globalization. He argues that comparative literature and efforts by scholars to provide translations of literary works in different languages has helped to promote globalization. Such translations allow for a greater understanding and appreciation of one another’s value and literature. Victor Ariole demonstrates in his article factors that engender integration in Franco-phone Africa that can serve as a platform for better integration process in Africa. Gregory osas Simire’s article explores the relationship between language and culture and investigates the transmission of the didactics of culture within the context of French teaching and learning as a foreign language.
 
The journal’s editorial board will continue to encourage academic discourse from a multiplicity of disciplines that will contribute to knowledge. I hereby express my appreciation to all contributors and those who assisted with the review of articles.
 
Duro Oni, Ph.D.

Professor of Theatre Arts Editor-in-Chief