The aesthetic of dance in Ahmed Yerima’s little drops

Abstract

In spite of being accepted as being more than mere entertainment, dance has yet to be given due recognition as a possible solution to some of the challenges faced by man especially in the works of Nigerian dramatists. The purpose of this article is to examine the role of dance in Ahmed Yerima’s play, Little Drops. Using the descriptive methodology, the research reveals that Yerima anchors resolution of the conflict in the play on ritual performed through dance. The research shows that the dance is taken from the culture of the people of the Niger-Delta where the play is set and which has been the scene of upheavals in recent times in Nigeria resulting from oil exploration activities and perceived economic and political marginalisation of the people of the region. It is revealed in the paper that the deployment of dance allows Yerima to pick sub-texts from the culture all of which cumulatively seem to indicate that perhaps a lasting solution to the economic and political and social problems of the Niger-Delta may be found in the people’s socio-cultural practices. It is concluded in the paper that with this, Yerima in Little Drops foregrounds the value of dance, in general, to the development of man and of his environment.