THE IMPACT OF ARTS AND CRAFTS IN YORUBALAND: A SURVEY OF THE NEW OYO TOWN

Abstract

Man is the first image created by God as the foremost work of art. This image (man) had beenendowed by his creator (God), with various creative artistic skills for decoration,amusement, and ornamental purpose to make a living. Apart from its socio-cultural values insociety, the economic advantage of arts and crafts is enormous as it serves as an avenue forincome generation. The art and craft works in the new Oyo are replicas of what was obtainedin the old Oyo kingdom. It has thus remained a veritable tool for cultural expression, socialand economic development of individuals and society. This paper focuses on the evolution ofand nature of art and craft in the new Oyo. It further reveals the historical, cultural andeconomic value it portends in the modern-day Oyo. The empirically based paper exploresmainly primary sources with the use of questionnaires for data collection and Chi-square forResults Analysis and discussion of findings. Oral interviews, archival materials andobservations of arts and crafts were also made used in the field to have a detailed fieldassessment. Secondary sources such as textbooks, journal articles, newspapers andmagazines report as well as internet materials were also consulted. The paper concludeswith the need for funding arts and crafts to sustain the historic past, enhancing its dynamismof innovation and creativity, and advancing the unique culture and traditions of the Yorubasto prevent it from going into extinction.