The Performing Arts is a tool that carves the character and shapes the future perceptions of a society. The Performing Arts (Music, dance and drama) do not only tell us about the exploits of our forefathers, the greatness of past leaders but the weaknesses of the society as well.

African folk songs echoed the praises of Heroes and Heroines and, ridicule Tyrants and social misfits. In recent years, Christmas comes with a song – a song about the achievements of heroes or a song ridiculing the ills of recalcitrant. This serves as education for the young. Unfortunately, our folk songs are long dead and Christmas comes with Electric music glorifying ‘boobs and bums‘. Our Arts has definitely lost its course.

In medieval Europe, ballads were used to spread the news of pirates millions of kilometres away. These written ballads were not only sung at the public square but sold as news to the citizenry as well.

Plays about the new world were also written and performed at theatres across Europe. Performance moved from city to city spreading the might of Europeans and told stories of the new world. All these helped shape Europe and made her the jewel of the medieval world. It shaped how Europeans perceived the world.

Hollywood shaped and still shaping American and of course world perception. The Expedition to the moon, scientific discoveries, future technologies and extra terrestrial lives were played by Hollywood. Based on these fantasies, people’s thoughts were shaped and fantasies soon turned to reality.

Hollywood, of course prepared the mind of the American to the changes yet to come. They opened up the minds of the people that fantasies were not just for entertainment but could actually be brought to life. They fired up the scientific drive in the people. Got the creators to work and Eureka! With trials and errors, within few years, these dreams were made real. We can’t forget how Hollywood aroused the patriotism of the American during wars times. But what do we see in our part of the world.

But things seem very different in our part of the world. Our arts portray foreign cultures. Silly, isn’t it? We portray more knowledge than the one we are copying from. Lifestyles that do not build the society or fall within our contexts. Our movies are mostly about witchcraft and love. Our musicians only sing about nudity, fame and sex. None of our social problems and their solutions are portrayed to us. They are avoided like a plague by the creative arts industry.

Our government, unfortunately, is not interested in the arts. It is missing out on this very famous way of changing society. It only pretends to be interested by pumping money to the wrong hands, once in a while. The arts is shaping the youth to love fun and only consume everything foreign.

Our future is what the Arts tell the youth.