THE IMPACT OF ARTS AND CRAFTS IN YORUBALAND: A SURVEY OF THE NEW OYO TOWN

Abstract

Man is the first image created by God as the foremost work of art. This image (man) had been endowed by his creator (God), with various creative artistic skills for decoration, amusement, and ornamental purpose to make a living. Apart from its socio-cultural values in society, the economic advantage of arts and crafts is enormous as it serves as an avenue for income generation. The art and craft works in the new Oyo are replicas of what was obtained in the old Oyo kingdom. It has thus remained a veritable tool for cultural expression, social and economic development of individuals and society. This paper focuses on the evolution of and nature of art and craft in the new Oyo. It further reveals the historical, cultural and economic value it portends in the modern-day Oyo. The empirically based paper explores mainly primary sources with the use of questionnaires for data collection and Chi-square for Results Analysis and discussion of findings. Oral interviews, archival materials and observations of arts and crafts were also made used in the field to have a detailed field assessment. Secondary sources such as textbooks, journal articles, newspapers and magazines report as well as internet materials were also consulted. The paper concludes with the need for funding arts and crafts to sustain the historic past, enhancing its dynamism of innovation and creativity, and advancing the unique culture and traditions of the Yorubas to prevent it from going into extinction.