Disneyization | Commodification

Many cities in Nigeria have started to resemble many Western urban centres. This may be due to the influx of oil revenue and tourist visits as Nigeria is increasingly becoming well-known on the world map. Take for example Lagos, a massive city which has since been in the risk of being overcrowded by traffic jams, movie theatres, department stores, restaurants, and supermarkets.

The food culture in Nigeria has also been heavily Westernized. This is especially common in urban centres where it has transformed the eating habits in Nigeria in many ways. Canned, frozen, and prepackaged foods, which are common in most Western countries' supermarkets can now be easily found in Nigeria's supermarkets. Foreign restaurant are also a familiar sight in the larger cities of Nigeria. However, the products in these places are usually too expensive for an average Nigerian. Hence, only wealthy Nigerians can afford to dine like Westerners.

In the olden days, Nigerians consume food by hand, however these days, forks and spoons are becoming more common with the increase of Western influences. This phenomenon is happening even in remote villages and rural areas.

So, is tourism a culprit in commodifying cultures and traditions?

I concur. Commodification is no more than a form of Profiteering. Tourists travel to a destination for an experience and yet what they bring back to their homelands are usually merchandise from the site.

Even though Commodification contributes to the harmful and irreversible changes to cultures and traditions, the economic gains that it brings are too significant to ignore. Hence, what I suggest is that instead of an absolute abortion of Commodification, national governments can implement measures to safeguard and preserve the authenticity and culture of destinations. Commodification is inevitable, but with proper management of tourism, it will definitely benefit its people.

Tourism in Nigeria

Even though Nigeria offers a wide variety of tourist attractions, many of these attractions were still largely untapped and maintained at their raw states. They were visited only by a small group of tourists having high disposable incomes and in quest of exoticism or adventurous people in search of new challenges and experiences.

However, these impediments of tourism have been tackled with the new administration. Due to the richness and diversity of Nigeria's tourism resources, investment opportunities have surfaced. Hence, there is an increase in foreign and local investors investing in the abundant tourism potentials in the country.

As such, the abundance of resources available in the large market has since contributed to the tourism industry in Nigeria. "Foreign investors and other interested individuals should take these advantages to invest in the Nigerian tourism industry for sustainability and profitable returns."

Due to Globalization and the advancement in technology, the transportation system in Nigeria has larely improved, this is especially in the Airline and Road Transportation. However, there is still a need to further improve and enhance the water recreation transportation as well as rail services.

Nigeria is Known for...

...its oil production where it is a leading member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The price of oil in the world market is largely affected by Nigeria. During the 1970s, the oil-rich economy led to a major economic boom for Nigeria, transforming the poor african country into the 30th richest country in the world.

It is also known for its strong textile industry where most of its the cloth produced cater to the large Nigerian population. Two other major productions include the agricultural production as well as commercial industries. Examples of Nigeria’s agricultural products are cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, rice, millet, con, cassava, yams, rubber, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, timber, and fish. Commercial industries inclide coal, tin, textiles, footwear, fertilizer, printing, ceramics and steel.

Nigeria’s soccer team is world-renowned and is counted among the ten best soccer teams of the world. It is Africa's best soccer team and has won the World Cup in 1985 in China and ranked second in Canada in the year 1987.

Leisure Programmes

The leisure (and sports) programmes in Nigeria play a very important role in its culture. They have promoted the country to make a mark in the international field. One place worth visiting would be the National Parks in Nigeria where they are an abode of varied wildlife. Other leisure activities include bird-watching as well a going for Safari Rides.

Sports and activities include football, boxing, baseball, basketball, cricket, golf, volleyball, shooting, swimming. Even cycling, weight lifting, wrestling, rowing, lawn tennis, badminton and athletics are also practiced

Mode of Education in Nigeria

Education of children is a community responsibility in majority of Nigerian ethnic groups. All Nigerian children are supposed to have access to a local elementary school. While the government aims to provide universal education for both boys and girls, the number of girls in class is usually much lower than the number of boys.

Sending every child in a family to school can often put a lot of strain and stress on a family as this means that the family will lose the child/children's help around the house during school hours. They will also have to work harder to make ends meet in order to pay for their children’s school uniforms and supplies. Thus if parents are forced to send one child to school over another, many will choose to educate boys before girls.

Historically, Nigerians have been very interested in higher education. However, while Nigeria's system of higher education is the largest in Africa, the demand for higher education far exceeds the capacity of the facilities. There simply are not enough institutions to cater to the exceedingly high demand. In 1998 only thirty-five thousand students were accepted to Nigerian universities out of a pool of more than four hundred thousand applicants.

Nigeria also has 125 technical training schools. The majority of these focus on polytechnic and agricultural training, with only a few specializing in areas such as petroleum sciences and health.

Languages

Nigeria has more than 250 individual tribal languages. However, the official language of Nigeria is English. It is not only commonly used in all government interactions and in state-run schools; it is also the only language common to the local people.

The country's unofficial second language is Hausa. In northern Nigeria many people who are not ethnic Hausas speak both Hausa and their own tribal language. Hausa is the oldest known written language in West Africa, dating back to before 1000 C.E.

The dominant indigenous languages of the south are Yoruba and Igbo. Prior to colonization, these languages were the unifying languages of the southwest and southeast, respectively, regardless of ethnicity. However, since the coming of the British and the introduction of mission schools in southern Nigeria, English has become the language common to most people in the area. Today those who are not ethnic Yorubas or Igbos rarely speak Yoruba or Igbo.

Pidgin, another common language of southern Nigeria, is a mix of African languages and English. In the olden days, British sailors needed to find a way to communicate with local merchants, hence the creation of Pidgin, which basically incorporates English words with Yoruban or Igbo grammar structures. Today it is often used in ethnically mixed urban areas as a common form of communication among people who have not had formal education in English.

Indigenous Groups in Nigeria

There are more than 250 ethnic tribes in Nigeria. Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo (pronounced ee-bo) are the three largest and most dominant ethnic groups. However, there include other smaller groups like the Fulani, Ijaw, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, and Edo. Prior to their conquest by Europeans, these ethnic groups had separate and independent histories.

Their grouping together into a single entity known as Nigeria was a construct of their British colonizers. These various ethnic groups never considered themselves part of the same culture. This general lack of Nigerian nationalism coupled with an ever-changing and often ethnically biased national leadership, have led to severe internal ethnic conflicts and a civil war. Today bloody confrontations between or among members of different ethnic groups continue.

Traditions of Nigeria

Age is greatly respected in Nigeria. In an area where the average life expectancy is not very high, those who live into their senior years are seen as having earned special rights of respect and admiration. This is true of both men and women.

Socially, greetings are of the utmost importance. A handshake and a long list of well wishes for a counterpart's family and good health are expected when meeting someone. This is often true even if you have seen that person a short time earlier. Whether you are talking to a bank teller or visiting a friend, it is considered rude not to engage in a proper greeting before getting down to business.
Shaking hands, eating, or passing things with the left hand are unacceptable. The left hand is reserved for personal toiletries and is considered dirty.

Food plays a vital role in the rituals of most ethnic groups in Nigeria. Special ceremonies would be deemed incomplete without participants sharing in a meal. It is considered rude not to invite guests to share in a meal when they visit; it is even more so if the visitors were invited to attend a special event such as a marriage or a naming ceremony.

The Culture of Nigeria

Nigeria's rich and varied cultural heritage derives from the mixture of its different ethnic groups with Arabic and western European cultural influences.

Music and dance are integral to Nigerian culture, and each ethnic group has its own specialties. Traditional instruments include various types of flutes, trumpets, musical bows, xylophones, and wooden clappers, as well as many varieties of drums. Music is used to celebrate rulers and to accompany public assemblies, weddings and funerals, festivals, and storytelling.

Dance also has many varieties: Ishan stilt dancers in colourful costumes twist themselves in the air; while one Tiv dance, called ajo, features male dancers who work in pairs, and another involves teams of women who perform a dance called icough by composing songs about current events. Dance for the Ubakala shows their value system, helps resolve conflicts, and also institutes changes.