Investigation of the Use of Performance in Voter Education During Election Periods in Rivers State

Dramatic performance offers accessible and emotionally engaging approaches to voter education that conventional civic broadcasts cannot match, and examining its use in Rivers State election periods provides evidence for applying theatre to democratic participation programming. This study investigated the use of performance arts in voter education campaigns during the 2023 general election period in Port Harcourt City and Obio-Akpor Local Government Areas, Rivers State, South South Nigeria. A qualitative descriptive design was employed, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 8 performance groups engaged by INEC, 12 community members, and 5 civil society programme coordinators. Three performance sessions were observed. Results showed that performance-based voter education reached predominantly young adult audiences, with mean audience ages of 22 to 35 years. All 8 performance groups used indigenous languages and cultural references to communicate voting procedures and anti-vote-buying messages. Post-performance Q-and-A sessions emerged spontaneously in 5 of 8 documented performances, demonstrating high audience engagement. Practitioners reported last-minute contract notifications and insufficient preparation time as organisational challenges. The study concludes that performance is a highly effective voter education medium in Rivers State but requires earlier integration into election programming cycles. Recommendations include INEC contracting performance groups 6 months before election dates, developing a standardised national electoral performance curriculum, and evaluating voter knowledge outcomes in communities with sustained performance-based education.

Keywords: voter education, performance arts, Rivers State, elections, civic participation