I’m
typing this with utmost sadness and regret. So many things have been going
wrong in a while but I try to turn the other way. Just last night, I got the
biggest heartbreak of 2016. More heartbreaking than the news of non-payment of
N5000 to unemployed Nigerian youths.
TRUE
ARTS IS DYING.
If
you’re in doubt, look around you. I was talking to an 11yr old girl yesterday
and she wanted to ask me some questions and she started running the names of
some of their literature books to me and I was like WHAT??? Are those
literature books or Blogposts?
For
crying out loud, even though I was a Science student, I loved the Arts. I may
not have studied Literature but I’m certain I’ve dabbled into more books than a
lot of Literature students. If you’re wondering why I didn’t study the Arts, you
can go ask my science loving dad.
I
know we grew up reading books like Bottled Leopard, Eze goes to School, Without A Sliver-spoon, Things
Fall Apart to mention a few African literary works and some foreign works like
Animal Farm (George Orwell) ,Oliver Twist, A tale of 2 cities (Charles
Dickens),Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare and for a few of us, Lord of the Flies.
(William Golding or Goldsmith or something like that) etc.
But
here I am asking a secondary school student what literature they read at school
and the only one she’s heard a little about is Oliver Twist (she didn’t even
know the author’s name). Can you imagine? No Animal Farm! She’s now asking me
if I’ve read “A Woman in her Prime.” I mean, what the hell is that? Sounds
like d title of a Blogpost or an article. She also called some other books that
I did well to forget their names as she reeled them off. Is that a Travesty or
what?
What
I can say is that Art is dying and technology has finally won. Now we can
barely flip books unless they have remote controls. We read everything now off
screens. computers and phone screens are the order and now we know folks don’t
read books anymore unless they’re in soft copy. Maybe this is the time to stop
printing books which ultimately means fewer trees would be cut down and that’s
good news for Leonardo di Caprio and his super group of ecological activists
and also means more food for herbivores and this includes those sanctimonious vegetarians.
It
is evident everywhere! Even in entertainment, who does artfully creative stuffs
anymore? They’re towing the paths of Dinosaurs. In movies, they’re more special
effects than Art and in music… Total write off. Just butts, breasts, beats and
beats and more Beats by Dre.
For
a lover of Art, I’m really miffed. That is how this world got to this point of
madness. You can’t just expect to do away with something as pure as true Art
and not get so much of this madness, do you? You just don’t!
Signing
out, Artfully yours!
Samuel
Welcome to the club of the miffed set people. It's deeper than you think. Thanks for sharing welldone. Adesuwa Iluobe
ReplyDeletei am in that club!
DeleteA good piece but I totally disagree with the author... He is advocating for static arts... Time and people have changed
ReplyDeletethank you for your comment. But dos time and people changing mean less reading? or reading of crap literature? i once saw a jss2 literature that had sexual undertones in it. and that is what children are now subjected to all in the name of changing times?
DeleteAre you sure the writer spoke to a smart girl? i think we are heading to a time when u dont need pen and paper. you can read and write from a device and that does not decrease the value of education . i am surprised people are scared of technology. if you compare an average 10year old kid and you when you were 10 yrs old , the exposure is not the same. they know alot of things we are just getting to know about or we knew about just 10 years ago.
ReplyDeletereading softcopy of anything isnt bad or makes a person less smarter . it is just the level we have grown to and not a sigh=n of laziness. it started from slates to chalks and to books. so if our kids carry laptops and ipads, it is all advancement.
.....DWIGHT
Dwight i appreciate your comment and i agree with some most parts of your argument. However, i do not think the writer has a problem with advancement as you put it. the problem i see him rsiding is the quality of the literature being taught in schools now and the lack of interest of pupils and students alike in reading.
ReplyDeleteEven our own generation are guilty of this. By all means read from a tablet or ipad but how many of us really take time to read?
If you do your research you will find out that the reading culture is dying. children are no longer encouraged to read good books but we are concentrating on teaching them how to do stuff with gadgets.
i strongly believe that the culture of reading (and not just reading thrash literature) should be re-inenforced whether it is reading on a gadget or flipping real pages of a book
I don't think there was a time reading culture was strong especially in Africa. I will take my self as an example,I have never read a book b4 except for exams or certifications. And I think nothing has changed there are still kids today interested in literature. And I think there are lots of beautiful literature materials out there. It can't be that bad
DeleteI think it boils down to upbringing. It is not cultural. I have 7 siblings and half of us read and the other half were just not interested.
DeleteLet me just say that there is a huge difference between the 2 groups (if you know what I mean).
We discussed this on Twitter the other day and the trick is to give a child books from when he is in diapers. Make him read that sucker! Hahaha!
Reading culture was strong at one time and the quality of literature in Nigeria was almost excellent so much so much so we were sought after by the world and still sought after. Technology is good but where we cannot use it to maintain quality of our texts then it's damaging. Alas the damage has started. ..due to illguided technology. I understand Samuel. We will overcome
ReplyDelete