Preliminaries and Content

Abstract

Editorial

Lagos Notes and Records has continued its strides as a reputable peer-reviewed journal that attracts contributions from scholars and researchers from within and outside Nigeria with a wide range of backgrounds in the Humanities. 

In this Volume 24, we are excited to include a number of contributions from researchers in foreign languages-based disciplines and a number of upcoming researchers and academics. This is a welcome development and it signals a growing research interest among middle-level scholars as well as the growing reputation of the Journal among scholars outside the shores of Nigeria.

Hyang-Ok Lim from Korea examines performance anxiety among students of interpretation when doing consecutive interpretation and to determine whether being aware of their feelings of anxiety can help them overcome them. She argues that the difficulties of public speaking need to be overcome and controlled in order to be able to give a competent interpretation.

Garba’s paper exhibits a similar concern by emphasising modulation and all that surrounds it in the art of translation. He argues that indirect translation approach becomes imperative because of our ambition to ensure effective transmission of messages in a multilingual and multicultural communities.

Leon Balogun uses a literary text to interrogate the issue of moral decadence in society. The article seeks to provide answers by exploring the factors contributing to the sacralisation of studies in Colince Yann’s La Princesse du Diable and the justification of moral decadence in a given family.

Balogun Thomas, in his contribution, suggests that the teaching and learning of French language in Nigeria should be considered with seriousness given the position Nigeria occupies in International Organisations and the rising importance of French language within the global community.  He tries to expose the difficulties that may confront this initiative. He however discusses the prospects and the lots of opportunities that this language offers to the country and especially to the users of the language.

In the paper titled “Archetypal And Archetypes: A Further Search in  Art Practice Of Nigerian Diaspora Artists”, Ogunfuwa searches for the archetypal and archetypes that genuinely represent the characteristics of Nigerian Diaspora artists. The author navigates the discourse by illustrating with works of some Diaspora painters. It argues that environment, potential capability of the painter influence the painter’s archetypal conception of idea-inform which can cut across disciplinal boundaries. It concludes that formal education and training is essential for the artist to build psychological and socio-cultural fortification in this 21st century Diasporic age.

John Adenle assesses the quality of NCE sandwich programme in Fine Arts, outlines the shortcomings associated and suggests a probable extension for the programme. The study recommends that the contact periods should be increased from 8 to 12 or 14 weeks to give enough time for skill drills and assignments.

Ofuafo re-examines the conceptualisation of the ancestors’ statuettes in two-dimensional art by Bruce Onobrakpeya based on Urhobo cultural framework. The study critically evaluates the pre-colonial status of the ancestors and lucidly highlights the pride of place they once enjoyed. Ofuafo concludes by arguing that despite the pervading influence of Christianity ad globalisation “the living dead are still being remembered and venerated by the Urhobo through modern ways of worship”.

Hysaint Eiguedo-Okoeguale examines health challenges in Nigeria and the emergence of medical tourism. The paper discusses some of the problems bedevilling public healthcare and submits that the myriads of problems forced Nigerians to embrace medical tourism as an alternative and that Indian hospitals have proven to be the most favourable destinations to prospective Nigerians seeking health care owing to the higher costs available in Europe and the United States.

In another contribution from History, the paper “Whose Lagos, Whose Hi(story)?”, Ayodeji Olukoju joins the debates on the history and status of Lagos within the larger socio-political space in Nigeria. He argues that “narratives based almost exclusively on the written sources, as rich as they are, cannot capture much of what made Lagos tick without the illumination provided by the rich repertoire of oral sources – traditions, songs, festivals, etc – that Lagos is blessed with”. He concludes by submitting that “The point is that how and when people encountered Lagos will affect how they perceive and present it, and the narratives that ensue. There will surely be as many answers as the number of those who engage the subject and encounter Lagos”.

The last contribution from Okunowo and Oloko examines “Aspects of Proverbial Hermeneutics in Niyi Osundare’s Poetry: Motivations, Patterns and Interpretation for Meaning Delivery”. The authors  investigate the use of  proverb as a style of literary composition in Osundare’s poetry especially aspects of Osundare’s rhetorical use of proverbs as a means of  making meaning and persuading his readers to share his worldview, concerns and accept his message.

Generally, these contributions have been able to shed fresh light on the various subjects that the authors explored thus helping to advance knowledge that can be applied within the academia and larger society.

Muyiwa Falaiye, PhD

Professor of Philosophy

Editor-in-Chief