Dr. Salihu Zubairu Mustapha teaches History in the Department of History, Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria-Nigeria, with a specialization in Economic History. He has his first degree from
Bayero University, Kano, Masters Degree obtained from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria while
his PhD obtained from University of Zululand, Republic of South Africa. To his credit has a
number of publications in both local and international journals.
He also attended number conferences both local and international including Africa, and UK and
other parts of the world.
The Role of Art in Understanding of the Nigerian Contemporary History
The paper examines the role of art in the understanding of contemporary Nigerian history. It is
important to note that Art is a part of life that plays a number of roles and executes a range of
functions; it makes art so irreplaceable in the life of people. One of the esthetic roles of art in
Nigeria and the life of Nigerians is its ability to depict the world and touch the spiritual inner
self of every person deeply. It’s also uses people’s efforts and talents to create something
beautiful and amazing to all senses which helped greatly in the understanding of contemporary
Nigerian History.
Art has to do with the creation, storage, and transmission of symbols and values, which are non-
material, which are spiritual. These are cultural values of the society has shed more lights on the
history of various Nigerian communities. The paper intends to analyze how these values play the
role of landmarks in the lives of people. It’s also examines society, in its turn, uses art to help
people start thinking about their role in the world and the meaning of their lives under the
quickly changing and so ambiguous conditions of the modern epoch. The rapid development of
technologies keeps us constantly in touch with art, especially via the Internet. The closer people
are to the art, the closer they are to themselves. The more harmonic they are with themselves, the
more harmonic the entire society will be.
The aesthetic side is vital in every area of life. Since artists have always been the ones with the
most unusual thinking and perception of life, they are often the developers and inventors of
something revolutionary new. Leonardo da Vinci invented a whole range of things, starting with
architectural findings and ending with aviation. These ideas are still in use today and many new
ones are being invented. Now, the technical aspect goes side by side with the atheistic
component. The factories that develop automobiles, boats, trains, and even planes always have
departments that are in charge for the aesthetic side of each project. It’s impossible to sell a car
if it’s not aesthetically attractive to the audience, no matter how fast it is. It works in the opposite
way, too. Sometimes, the invention of artists forces engineers and technologists to create of
something new and unusual. For instance, many items of the modern interiors were created not
by engineers first but by artists. Having a desirable shape, engineers were able to fill it with
certain content; these and many had shed more lights towards understanding of contemporary
Nigerian history. Finally, the paper examines the role of various art and artifacts in the
understanding contemporary Nigerian history such as Da’ima, Terracota and Nok culture.