Assessment of the Representation of Northern Nigerian Culture in Contemporary Nigerian Theatre Productions

Contemporary Nigerian theatre productions emerging from southern cultural hubs often inadequately represent the diversity and depth of northern Nigerian cultural traditions, and examining this representation gap has implications for national cultural integration. This study assessed the representation of northern Nigerian cultural elements in stage productions presented at notable theatre venues in Lagos and Abuja over a three-year period (2021 to 2023). A content analysis of 30 purposively selected production programmes, scripts, and available recordings was conducted. A representation framework with five dimensions (language use, costume, setting, cultural practices, and historical narratives) was applied. Results showed that northern cultural elements were present in only 8 of the 30 analysed productions. Among those 8, 6 treated northern culture as peripheral backdrop rather than central narrative. Northern languages featured in fewer than 5 percent of dialogue across the corpus. Historical narratives from northern Nigeria (pre-colonial kingdoms, resistance figures) were absent from all analysed works. Female northern characters appeared in stereotyped roles in 5 of 8 productions. The study concludes that contemporary mainstream Nigerian theatre significantly underrepresents northern cultural perspectives. Recommendations include university theatre departments commissioning playwrights to document northern narratives, national arts council grants targeting northern cultural productions, and inter-regional artistic exchange residencies for theatre practitioners.

Keywords: cultural representation, northern Nigeria, Nigerian theatre, cultural diversity, national theatre