Nigerian theatre in a digital era

Abstract

Within the last two decades, there have been diverse painstaking attempts by Nigerian theatre pedagogues, under the umbrella of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA), to underscore the germaneness of the theatre in society by constructing themes to address issues of concern in its yearly conference. One of such is the thematic preoccupation of SONTA 2022 which was headlined, “Nigerian Theatre in a Digital Era.” In this paper, we argue against the frame of apprehending the ‘digitalisation’ of Nigerian theatre from the lens of electronic or computerised technology as constructed by the West. We examine the historical boundaries of what it means for a theatre to be in a digital era and more so, at what point would we say that the Nigerian theatre entered its own digital era. The paper draws on historical analysis to contend that Nigerian theatre is caught betwixt the web of Eurocentric apprehension of ‘digitalisation’ and a functionalist logjam of finding relevance in a fast-changing world driven by the Western-styled technology. It submits that the Nigerian theatre is far behind in its attempt to catch up with the Western idealisation of ‘digital theatre’ as the West is gradually shifting from digitalisation to post-digital encounters with emphases on human beings. Hence, the call for a reinterpretation of the digital era in the Nigerian theatre based on a fresh understanding in light of the argument for a post-digital world.