Art: Nigeria’s Civic Mirror
By Rowland Yohanna Goyit
I have come to understand Nigeria’s democracy less as a sequence of elections and more as a living cultural text that is constantly edited not only by politicians and institutions, but by musicians, filmmakers, playwrights, and visual artists. My vantage point as a curator, positions me at an unusual intersection where art and governance meet quietly, often indirectly, yet powerfully. In galleries, theatres, studios, diplomatic spaces and digital platforms, I encounter politics not as noise but as texture that seeps into colour palettes, scripts, soundscapes, and metaphors long before it appears in headlines.
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In moments of political uncertainty, artists become some of the most perceptive historians of the present. They document not merely what is happening, but how it feels to live through it. When electoral processes are debated, when public trust wavers, or when civic conversations grow tense, the arts rarely retreat. Instead, they reorganize themselves into new languages of expression.
Musicians transform frustration into rhythm and poetry; filmmakers embed social critique into narrative arcs; playwrights stage conversations that society is often afraid to have in public; visual artists convert abstract governance issues into tangible imagery that lingers in memory.
What distinguishes this political moment is not simply the presence of resistance, but the diversity of artistic response. Art in Nigeria today is not monolithic. It ranges from overt protest to subtle satire, from documentary realism to layered allegory. A song released on streaming platforms can carry as much civic commentary as a newspaper editorial. A short film circulating on mobile phones can interrogate leadership and accountability with more emotional precision than a televised debate. A theatre performance, staged before a modest audience, can ignite conversations that ripple outward into classrooms, homes, and online spaces. The scale may differ, but the influence is undeniable.
Art as resistance in Nigeria has deep historical roots. During periods of military rule, resistance often required coded symbolism and metaphorical storytelling. Today, while the climate has shifted, resistance has not disappeared; it has evolved. It is no longer always about confrontation.
It is frequently about critical interrogation without necessarily raising a clenched fist. Artists question systems, expose contradictions, and highlight the lived consequences of policy decisions, often with a sophistication that invites reflection rather than immediate outrage.
Satire has become one of the most effective tools in this landscape. Nigerian creatives possess an exceptional ability to disarm tension with humour while simultaneously delivering incisive critique. Cartoons, spoken-word performances, skits, and musical parodies circulate widely, teaching audiences that formal political discourse rarely touches. Satire does more than entertainment; it lowers defensive barriers and creates entry points into serious civic conversations. In a society where political language can become rigid or polarizing, humour becomes a bridge rather than a weapon.
Beyond resistance and satire lies perhaps the most enduring role of the arts in this political moment: civic education. Art has the rare capacity to translate complex institutional processes into human narratives. A mural addressing voter responsibility in a busy marketplace may communicate more effectively than an official campaign brochure. A film exploring the everyday struggles of citizens during policy transitions can make governance relatable rather than abstract. Theatre, in particular, continues to serve as a communal classroom; an arena where audiences witness themselves, their dilemmas, and their aspirations embodied on stage.
From my curatorial experience, I have observed that audiences engage with politically infused art with a depth of attention rarely afforded to formal political messaging. A painting invites pause.
A performance invites empathy. A song invites repetition. These invitations create spaces for contemplation rather than compulsion. In those spaces, citizens negotiate their own beliefs and expectations of leadership. The arts, therefore, do not merely echo political narratives; they shape how those narratives are internalized, debated, and remembered.
Recent explorations in digital technology and artificial intelligence, has amplified this shaping power exponentially. Young Nigerian artists armed with smartphones and design software now participate in national discourse with unprecedented immediacy. Visual commentaries, short animations, and spoken-word videos travel across social media at remarkable speed, bypassing traditional gatekeepers. This democratization of creative expression has expanded the range of voices contributing to political dialogue, making the cultural response more inclusive, more dynamic, and occasionally more volatile.
Yet, with influence comes responsibility. The same creative tools that illuminate truth can also magnify distortion if not guided by critical awareness. The most compelling artistic voices are those that balance passion with clarity, dissent with imagination, and critique with constructive vision. They recognize that shaping political narratives is not simply about opposing authority; it is about expanding understanding and encouraging participation.
In reflecting on Nigeria’s present climate, I am convinced that artists function as both mirrors and architects of public consciousness. They mirror society by capturing its anxieties, hopes, and contradictions. They act as architects by constructing new ways of seeing and creating new civic vocabularies that extend beyond party affiliations. Through music, film, theatre, and visual expression, they ensure that political discourse is not confined to legislative chambers but remains alive within culture itself.
Ultimately, the Nigerian artistic community is not operating at the margins of politics; it is working at its emotional and imaginative core. In a nation where democracy is continually negotiated, creative expression becomes a form of civic authorship. Through resistance, satire, and education, artists do more than comment on the political moment, they help define how it will be remembered, interpreted, and perhaps, most importantly, re-imagined
General Secretary, Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) and Special Projects Curator, Orisun Centre for Art and Antiquities (OCAA)