This book discusses the role of cultural practices and policy for sustainable development in West Africa across different artistic disciplines, including performance, video, theatre, community arts ...and cultural heritage. Based on ethnographic field research in local communities, the book presents findings on current debates of cultural sustainability in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Benin. It provides a unique perspective connecting cultural studies, conflict studies and practical peacebuilding approaches through the arts. The first part pays particular attention to aspects of social cohesion and the circumstances of internally displaced persons e. g. caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria. The second part focuses on cultural policy issues and challenges in the context of sustainable development, investigating participatory approaches and bottom-up processes, the role of governments and civil society, as well as performing arts organizations and universities in policy making and implementation processes. Performing Sustainability in West Africa presents research results and new methods on the role of artistic and cultural practices in conflict situations as well as current debates in cultural policy for researchers, academics, NGOs and students in cultural studies, sustainable development studies and African studies.
Similar to many African communities, the Bura of northeastNigeria believe that twins are born withsupernatural powers. Among such powers are the ability to die and be re-born by another woman, the ...use of scorpions to harm people at will and the ability to feign sickness. To counteract such powers, a special twin ritual, kamta bulikur must be performed for the health and wellbeing of every twin. Bura traditional music is an integral part of this twin ritual. This paper examines Bura notions of tw inship and the significance of traditional music in the kamta bulikur ritual.
Discourse on the interconnections between culture and sustainability is a relatively recent research field that has become more popular with the ever-burgeoning efforts towards the implementation of ...the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This introductory chapter parses the understandings and dimensions of culture(s) and sustainability in West Africa, as well as the SDGs and their limitations for aspects of culture.
Building on this, the research approaches of the SDG Graduate School, 'Performing Sustainability: Cultures and Development in West Africa', will be discussed with a special emphasis on conflict situations. In conclusion, the chapter defines four theoretical core cultural issues of sustainability: (1) safeguarding of cultural heritage, (2) social cohesion through cultural practices, (3) conflict transformation through artistic peace education and (4) effective local bottom-up cultural policies and cultural ownership. Furthermore, several methodological approaches to researching culture in social transformation processes and conflict situations in West Africa are discussed.
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