A CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SELECTED ART WORKS ON PEACE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

(A CASE STUDY OF JOS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA. 2005 �“ 2015)

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Author

Presented To

Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
Peace and conflict resolution is a quest in the hearts of many people. Artists have created works which have served as statements on certain crisis situations, including wars, ravaging famine due to political, ethnic and religious conflicts, and also as an outrage to certain social, economic or political manipulations in the society. The study traces the works of earlier artists who have worked on peace and conflict resolution. Picasso‘s Guernica and Goya‘s work 3rd May 1808 are good examples of artists‘ reaction to conflict situations and how such can be addressed through artistic media. Also, the efforts of Nigerian artists like David West‘s works, No More Aggressionand KoladeOshinowo‘sConflict Resolution, are visual art exhibits worthy of mention in peace building and conflict resolution. The problem of this study is thus predicated on the fact that, various authors have discussed how art can be used and has been used for conflict resolutions and peace building. However, most of the discussions are based on the performative arts of theatre, music, poetry, film making and street plays, with few discussing the visual arts. This study hopes to bridge the gap noticed in previous art-based conflict resolution strategies by using visual arts as the thrust of discussion on peace and conflict resolution.The aim of this study is to articulate peace and conflict resolution efforts made through enumeration of selected exhibits in the visual arts, while the objectives of the study are; i. Identify works that intrinsically provoke and postulate peace and conflict issues, ii. Examine art exhibits in relation to positive and negative peace building efforts, iii. Analyse selected works within the context of peace and conflict resolutions, iv. Advance the mediatory role of art works in peace and conflict situations; and v. Document thematic contents, icons and symbols of peace in art exhibits. The literature, reviewed works of authors like Rank, Ramsbotham, Woodhouse and Miall,Buhari and Ancient-Symbols.com. Authors like; Osaretin and Akov, Best, Higazi,and Krause highlight the crises of Plateau State and how efforts are being made at restoring peace. Other literary materials on peace and conflict resolution helped to enhance the paradigm of the research, which is by no means exhaustive. The Methodology adopted was the qualitative research method, through a descriptive research approach in which, art historical and analytical techniques were employed,based on art historical paradigms of inquiry.The population for the study consist 38 works, purposively sampled, while 21 works were extrapolated using the deviant case of sampling for the analysis and discussions. All of these works were sampled from 21 artists who are members of Society of Nigerian Artists, Plateau State Chapter. Instruments like oral interview questions for in – depth interviews and focus group discussions with the S.N.A. was used for the data collection, and validated through a pilot study, and field work formed the hub for the data collected and analysed. Some findings extrapolated in the course of the study were from the objectives of the studyare these;there is a consensus by visual art practitioners in Jos on the use of visual arts as a potent tool which provokes and postulates peace issues. Also,icons and symbols found in some of the works, range from the conventional to the unconventional. The Riyom Rock formations in some of the works help to localise the works, and draw attention to Plateau State symbolism. The study concludes by stating that, art starts in obscurity and snowballs into the global scenes, and become referral points for peace building and conflict resolution; this is made possible through the instrumentality of symbolisms, allegories, emotional and philosophical appeal to the viewer. Peace is also achievable through the instrumentality of a few artists and their works, who use their potent creative abilities, and viii highly developed visual judgement and symbolisms, for provoking, mediating, documenting and advancing the cause of peace, in a conflict prone society.The research recommends the gazetting of the documented visual art icons, symbols and themes in peace and conflict resolution studies, National Gallery of Arts literary materials and peace advocacies materials to add to the rich array of a multi-disciplinary approach to peace and conflict resolution.