ARTPRENEUR AND EMPOWERMENT AMONG FARM FAMILIES IN COASTAL YORUBA LAGOS

Abstract

This paper discusses the historical account of what art-preneurial activities the coastal Yoruba artistes and craftsmen engage in along with their farming occupation and how these creative endeavours have thrived and become parts of their social and economic lives over time. Their arts and farm work are creatively engaging and emotionally charged with visual gestures that transmit and perhaps give release to messages, while these equally serve as an ever-evolving cultural renaissance. Coastal Yoruba arts comprise all kinds of crafts design such as boat carving for intra and inter-community mobility as well as fishing which are major occupations of Yoruba living in and around riverine areas of Lagos State, Nigeria. Among the indigenous dwellers of Badagry, Ikorodu, Epe, Lagos Island and other Awori sub-dialects, their age-long which has not been sufficiently engaged in contemporary studies can still be seen as a sign-post amongst the people who dwell around these areas and another suburb of the coastal areas of the state. Research evidence so far reveals that while there is less attention on boat carving, it can create entrepreneurial employment opportunities for people living in and around Lagos environs with a substantial gain. This paper adopts an in-depth qualitative approach through imagery to reflect the artistic breakdown of art forms with expressive patterns, and symbols of the coastal heritage to explicitly unearth the inherent qualities of their art forms and boat carving. The paper will further help to project the uniqueness and benefits of art and crafts as means of economic survival and as a template to remediate the problems of unemployment in Nigeria. It goes further to conclude that coastal Yoruba people are unique in their crafts, and fish farming occupations whilst discussing the roles arts serve in alleviating poverty among our teeming youths and adults at large.