Author Information
James Ashiekpe, University of Jos, NigeriaDaniel Chile, Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Nigeria
Abstract
Climate change poses significant challenges to environmental sustainability in Nigeria, threatening livelihoods and economic stability. While government and non-governmental organisations have initiated mitigation efforts, conventional strategies often fail to resonate culturally with grassroots communities. Anchored on Agenda-Setting Theory and Cultural Theory, the study evaluates the contribution of indigenous art forms utilised in the Nigerian broadcast media as tools for communicating climate change realities. A mixed-method approach combining content analysis and in-depth interview was adopted as research design to evaluate selected radio and television programmes from stations that incorporate indigenous artistic expressions related to environmental themes. A purposive sample of 20 programmes aired between 2020 and 2024 was analysed to identify patterns in message framing, symbolic representations, and calls to action. In-depth interviews with six broadcasters, climate advocates and cultural environmental communicators were also carried out to provide context, intent, design, and perceived impact of such content. Findings reveal that indigenous art forms adapted to modern broadcast formats not only simplify complex climate information but engage audiences emotionally and symbolically, fostering greater connection to environmental issues than conventional scientific messaging. The study also found that indigenous art forms bridge knowledge gaps, fosters environmental consciousness, and encourages sustainable livelihood practices. Furthermore, these artistic expressions often serve as communal archives of ecological wisdom, warning systems, and advocacy tools rooted in local cosmologies and sustainability ethics. The study concludes that integration of indigenous artistic expressions into climate communication efforts enhances awareness, education, local relevance, cultural ownership, behavioural change and participation in climate action.
Paper Information
Conference: BAMC2025Stream: Climate Change and Arts
This paper is part of the BAMC2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Ashiekpe J., & Chile D. (2025) Evaluation of the Contribution of Indigenous Art Forms in Nigerian Broadcast Media on Climate Change Awareness and Mitigation Behaviour ISSN: 2435-9475 – The Barcelona Conference on Arts, Media & Culture 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 279-291) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-9475.2025.25
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2435-9475.2025.25
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