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Jose Mourinho has been identified as Zinedine Zidane replacement at Real Madrid if the Frenchman is booted out. The Spanish giants are currently struggling in both the domestic and continental stage. from via EDUPEDIA24/7

[Deutsche Welle] Sudan's government has signed a political declaration with rebels, calling it a major step toward ending years of civil war. A nationwide cease-fire was also extended as part of efforts to create a lasting peace. via LATEST NEWS

[African Arguments] In the excitement around Sudan's evolving political order and the concerns around South Sudan's challenges, less attention has been paid to some long-standing contentious issues that have the potential to create new havoc. One of those issues is the disputed area between Sudan and South Sudan known as Abyei. The opportunity presented by the establishment of a new civilian government in Sudan following the fall of Omar al-Bashir offers fresh hope that Abyei can be freshly addressed. via LATEST NEWS

[Deutsche Welle] Income inequality is reversed when Africans migrate to Europe, according to a new UN study about the reasons for moving. Although much higher earnings are a factor, intolerance at home often cements the decision. via LATEST NEWS

[Deutsche Welle] The ruling Botswana Democratic Party could see its first defeat at the polls since independence in 1966. What would a changeover of power mean for Africa's model democracy? via LATEST NEWS

[The New Humanitarian] Addis Ababa -The long-dormant border crossings re-opened with such fanfare between Eritrea and Ethiopia last year as a symbol of warming relations are all now closed - but that isn't stopping a steady flow of Eritrean refugees from fleeing across the heavily militarised frontier. via LATEST NEWS

The discovery worth billions of naira were allegedly made by the House of Representatives Committee on Inland Waterways, Land Transport, Ports & Harbors, and Marine Safety & Education and the Senate Committee on Marine. from via EDUPEDIA24/7

[The Conversation Africa] South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, elected a new chairperson of its federal council this past weekend. Its choice - Helen Zille, former leader of the party, and former Premier of the Western Cape province - has sent shock waves through the party. via LATEST NEWS

[The Conversation Africa] The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) recently surpassed 3,000 infections. The outbreak had been raging for nearly a year by the time it was declared a "public health emergency of international concern" in July. via LATEST NEWS

[IPS] United Nations -A landmark UN migration study published on Monday shows that 93 per cent of Africans making the journey to European countries along irregular routes, would do it again, despite facing often life-threatening danger. via LATEST NEWS

[AIM] Maputo -Incumbent Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi won last Tuesday's presidential election in Maputo City with almost 70 per cent of the vote, while the ruling Frelimo Party did less well in the parliamentary election, winning just under 62 per cent. via LATEST NEWS

The vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof Idowu Olayinka has handed over six officials of its Distance Learning Center to the Department of the State Security over examination malpractice. from via EDUPEDIA24/7

The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has said that the party would do better than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if elected at the forthcoming gubernatorial polls in Bayelsa state. from via EDUPEDIA24/7

Former President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, has cried out over the temporary forfeiture order granted the government to take over his properties in Ikoyi. The Federal High Court in Lagos had granted an ex-parte filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking the forfeiture of the properties to the Nigerian Government. Reacting to this forfeiture, Saraki, who spoke through Yusuph Olaniyonu, his media aide, said he was not aware of the application before it was filed before the court. He said, “We are sure the FHC judge in Lagos was not aware of all these facts and has therefore been misled into giving the temporary forfeiture order. “The affected property, House Number 17 A and 17B, was specifically listed in the case against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in which the EFCC was part of the prosecution and the case went up to the Supreme Court where the apex court in its July 6, 2018 judgement ruled in his favour. See Also Corruption Court O...

Niger Delta women and youth in Ozoro community, Delta State, on Monday marched against the Divisional Police Officer of the area, CSP Samuel Oghenedoro, for allegedly freeing two notorious criminals under his watch. Speaking to SaharaReporters, a leader in the community, who pleaded anonymity, said, “These two notorious criminals had been terrorising Ozoro community and environs and were arrested through the effort of Ozoro vigilante group and handed over to the police.  “But during a visit by the leadership of the community to the DPO, we were informed that the criminals had escaped with handcuffs. “Following the development, the Ovie of Ozoro Kingdom, Anthony Ogbogbo, the President-General, Nicholas Areh, women leaders, youth leaders, vigilante groups and other sons and daughters of the community marched to the police station in anger to demand for the immediate transfer of the DPO. “The DPO with some of his boys had been aiding and abetting criminals in the area...

The Lagos State Government and France have held talks on how to tackle issues around climate change in the city. At a conference held at the Alliance Française, Lagos, on Monday, the French Government highlighted their involvement in sustainable urban development in Nigeria through public and private investments, adding that they would remain committed to fighting climate change across the globe. France underlined that sustainability entails not only climate smartness but also making cities welcoming for all through access to basic services and well-designed public spaces. Participants at the climate conference acknowledged the necessity to share and promote solutions across the public and private sectors to make cities more sustainable. Environment News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :  from All Content via

Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the remand of two British nationals pending the determination of their bail applications. The two men, James Richard Nolan and Adam Quinn (at large), were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over their alleged involvement in the $9.6bn judgment obtained by Process and Industrial Development against Nigeria. A United Kingdom court had granted P&ID, an Irish engineering company, the said amount as damages for the non-execution of a 20-year gas and supply processing agreement the company had with the Nigerian Government. Nolan and Quinn were arraigned on a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering on Monday. Count one reads, “That you James Richard Nolan and Adam Quinn (at large), sometime in December 2013 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, being directors of Goidel Resources Limited, a Designated Non-Financial Institution(“DNFI”) aided the said company in fai...

Former President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, has cried out over the temporary forfeiture order granted the government to take over his properties in Ikoyi. The Federal High Court in Lagos had granted an ex-parte filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking the forfeiture of the properties to the Nigerian Government. Reacting to this forfeiture, Saraki, who spoke through Yusuph Olaniyonu, his media aide, said he was not aware of the application before it was filed before the court. He said, “We are sure the FHC judge in Lagos was not aware of all these facts and has therefore been misled into giving the temporary forfeiture order. “The affected property, House Number 17 A and 17B, was specifically listed in the case against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in which the EFCC was part of the prosecution and the case went up to the Supreme Court where the apex court in its July 6, 2018 judgement ruled in his favour. See Also Corruption Court O...

YABATECH Graduates of Yaba College of Technology have taken to Twitter to vent their displeasure over the refusal of the school management to mobilise them for the National Youth Service despite passing out from the institution since 2018. Expressing his anger, one former student of the school with Twitter handle @IkheoaP, said, “I and my course mates graduated since December 2018 and up till now we haven't served because our incompetent school refused to upload our names on the NYSC senate list.  “I had a friend in IMSU whose school went on strike earlier this year, I graduated before this guy but he is currently serving now, whereas I have spent exactly 10 months and six days at home waiting for my school to upload our names on the senate list. “We plead that the Minister of Education comes to our aid, this is so annoying and frustrating.” Another former student of the institution with the handle @joshuaayomide18said, “It is almost a year and YabaTech ...

The Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs on Monday rejected the 2020 capital budget of N23bn for the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs due to uncompleted projects in the region, the News Agency of Nigeria reports. Chairman of the Committee, Peter Nwaoboshi, made this known when the Minister, Godswill Akpabio, appeared before the committee to defend the ministry’s budget of N25, 910,486,285. Nwaboshi said that with the oversight function carried out in the ministry, it was realised that the bane of the ministry was abandoned projects littered all over the nine Niger Delta states. He said, “There is no state, I dare to say that there is no local government where there is no abandoned projects in the Niger Delta. “We cannot continue like that. With all the abandoned projects in the Niger Delta and we are talking about new projects; these new projects are designed to fail. “We need to look at this budget again and expect you to do your cleanup because the document we need...

Lawrence Akande, a banker with Zenith Bank Plc., has told the Federal High Court that the financial institution sought the patronage of former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose. Akande said this on Monday at the Federal High Court in Lagos while giving testimony in the ongoing criminal trial of the former governor. Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had accused Fayose of offences bothering on money laundering. Akande had earlier appeared before former trial judge, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun. But following a petition written by the EFCC alleging bias against the judge, the matter was re-assigned to Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke with the implication that all witnesses, who had testified before the previous judge would have to testify afresh. Thirteen witnesses listed by the anti-graft agency had initially testified before the previous judge. They included officials from several commercial banks, as well as a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro. ...

Megabat . The megabat family, Pteropodidae, includes the largest bat species, some weighing up to 1.45 kg (3.2 lb) with wingspans up to 1.7 m (5.6 ft), as well as smaller species, some less than 50 g (1.8 oz). They are found in tropical and subtropical areas of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Unlike other bats, they have dog-like faces and clawed second digits. Well-adapted for flight, megabats have sustainable heart rates of more than 700 beats per minute and large lungs. Most of them are active at night. They roost in trees or caves, sometimes in colonies of up to a million individuals. Most are unable to echolocate, relying instead on their keen senses of sight and smell to navigate and locate food, usually fruits or nectar. A quarter of all megabat species are listed as threatened, due mainly to habitat destruction and overhunting. Even though they can transmit a variety of dangerous viruses, they are a popular food source for humans in some areas.

Megabat . The megabat family, Pteropodidae, includes the largest bat species, some weighing up to 1.45 kg (3.2 lb) with wingspans up to 1.7 m (5.6 ft), as well as smaller species, some less than 50 g (1.8 oz). They are found in tropical and subtropical areas of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Unlike other bats, they have dog-like faces and clawed second digits. Well-adapted for flight, megabats have sustainable heart rates of more than 700 beats per minute and large lungs. Most of them are active at night. They roost in trees or caves, sometimes in colonies of up to a million individuals. Most are unable to echolocate, relying instead on their keen senses of sight and smell to navigate and locate food, usually fruits or nectar. A quarter of all megabat species are listed as threatened, due mainly to habitat destruction and overhunting. Even though they can transmit a variety of dangerous viruses, they are a popular food source for humans in some areas.

Imagery: A playwright could employ literal or connotative language in his work. A literal language gives a direct meaning of the words while a connotative language gives more than one meaning to the word. The language here determines how we mentally visualize the object or situation. This is called imagery. Tt also shows the playwright’s attitude towards a particular character or situation. In The Lion and the Jewel, for example, Baroka is referred to as a ‘fox’, a ‘crafty rogue’, ‘wiry’, ‘goated’, ‘tougher than his sixty-two’, these references helps the reader to have a mental picture of Baroka. The image of a character and his mode of dressing as described in a stage-direction helps us, to a large extent, to evaluate the character’s disposition, personality, and the attitude of the playwright towards that character. Symbolism: In everyday life, we come across symbols and even use them at times. Symbols are objects or things that communicate meaning or messages without usin...

Language: Language seems to be the most essential technique in the analysis of any dramatic text. It is through language that the playwright communicates his ideas; so he manipulates it to suit his intention. Language could be in form of speech, gestures or other bodily signs/symbols. Dramatic language is not just an ordinary language because the playwright is compelled to incorporate descriptions about setting, character and the overall presentation of the story through the characters. The language must therefore be very economical, vivid and expressive. In Oedipus Rex, for example, the language is concise but loaded with meaning. Let us look at the following exchange in which Teiresias sums up the misfortunes of King Oedipus. Oedipus: Man, must We wrap up Wer words in riddles?       . Teiresias: Where We not framed for skill for solving riddles? Oedipus: We taunt m§ with the gift that is my greater Teiresias: Wer great misfortune and Wer ruin. I...

Setting; Setting is the place or the time where or when the action of the play takes place. In textual analysis, setting is also discussed. Setting could be a tribe, a village, a town or a country depending on the disposition of the playwright. In some plays like Oedipus Rex, Arms and the Man, Hamlet and many others, the playwrights mention specific towns/countries like Thebes, Bulgaria, and Denmark. However, in some other plays like The Marriage of Anansewa, the Lion and the Jewel, and The Song of a Goat, the setting of each play is identified through the names of characters or other landmarks. In The Lion and the Jewel for instance, the reference to ‘sango’ by some of the characters highlights the Yoruba background of the play. Setting in terms of time, period, or locale can be mentioned; implied or alluded to in the text.      

Characterization: Characters are the persons in a dramatic work. The playwright endows them with moral and dispositional qualities which are expressed in their words and actions. The reasons for the character’s action, his speech, his temperament constitute his motivation. In textual analysis, one could evaluate the character though the stage direction where some playwrights have some comments on the character’s disposition, his age, his physical attributes, his mode of dressing and other information that could be found there. The next thing is to evaluate his interactions with other characters through which we discover whether he is a flat or round character. A flat character remains unchanged in his outlook and dispositions from the beginning to the end but a round character could undergo a gradual or radical change which is brought about by events in the play. It is difficult to predict the actions of a round character because he is usually very close to real human beings. An...

Subject Matter: The subject matter is the topic of discussion in the play. It is easier to get the subject matter from the title of the play. Theme is the central idea of the play while the subject matter is the object of discussion from which the theme is extracted. It is means therefore that the theme is subsumed in the subject matter. In The Lion and the Jewel, for instance, the subject matter is the fame of Sidi (the Jewel) a Weng and beautiful girl and her seduction by the Bale (the Lion) who is sixty-two years old. From this example, we conclude that the subject matter is indeed the object of discussion which other events and incidents in a text or work help to highlight. This is the statement the play makes about the social world. In most cases, plays treat common human problems and make statements to have universal validity or relevance for all ages. Each playwright treats any of these human problems from his own perspective to give it a touch of originality and uniqueness...

Content/Theme: In the analysis of a play, the first issue that comes to mind is the theme. Theme is the main idea in a play that permeates its entire. How do we identify the theme of a play? Themes are identified through the dialogue, actions and manifestations in the actions of the major characters as they interact with other characters in the play. The interpersonal relationships of the characters help to highlight and advance that particular idea. Themes in drama include corruption, love, revenge, and many others. The theme is the message which the playwright wants to send across to his audience and a play could have more than one theme. The playwright could draw his germinal idea from an incident or event in his contemporary society. It could also be drawn from history, legend, myth or folklore but the important factor is that there is a message he sends to the audience. Most playwrights try to make their societies better through the exploration of the negative impacts of the...

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS Textual analysis in drama is the evaluation of a written play. In the evaluation, we are expected to read the play very well and highlight how effectively or otherwise the playwright has utilized the elements and devices of drama in the composition of his play. The dramatic techniques used are also discussed. As we analyze a play, we are expected to identify the theme, how appropriate the characters are, if they are consistent and their actions are properly motivated. The language is another area that needs attention as to determine if there is any -consistency. The relationship between, .the .message .of the .play .and .the .method, .used .to relay .the message is also examined. The following steps are considered effective tor better textual analysis: a) Read the play for the first time and enjoy the story, b) Read the play again with your notebook and dictionary by your side. Use the dictionary to find out the meaning of the words We are not familiar with and fo...

Farce: Farce which is referred to as comedy of situation, is a humorous play on a trivial theme usually one that is familiar to the audience. The themes that are treated in farce include mistaken identity; elaborate misunderstanding, switched costume (men in women’s clothes) heroes forced under tables, misheard instructions, discoveries, disappearances and many such situations. Farce is not considered an intellectual drama because it does not appeal to the mind. It deals with physical situations and does not explore any serious idea. It presents physical activities that grow .out of situations like the presence of something when something is not expected or the absence of something when something is expected. Farce does not treat serious social issues. Sometimes it does not tell a full story or present a logical plot. A good example is somebody walking md slipping on a banana peel .and falling in an exaggerated manner. The main objective is to entertain by evoking laughter. It p...

Tragic-comedy: We have seen that tragedy is a serious play that ends on a sad note, while comedy ends happily. In traditional tragedy, playwrights are not allowed to bring in any comic action. In Oedipus Rex, for instance, we will observe that the atmosphere is tense from the beginning to the end. As time went on- even from the Elizabethan period, comic characters were included in tragic plays. This is called comic relief. Tragic-comedy is a play that mixes both comic and tragic elements in equal proportion of each. It therefore elicits both tragic and comic emotions.

Melodrama: The word melodrama is coined from melo (music) and dran (drama). It is, therefore, a play that utilizes music extensively. But the utilization of music is not the only factor in melodrama, what really makes it melodrama is its portrayal of the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist suffers a lot but triumphs in the end while the .antagonist .suffers.. So, melodrama can be defined as a play that has serious action caused by a villain and a destruction of the villain which brings about a happy resolution in the play. The hero is usually involved in very dangerous circumstances, but is rescued or he disentangles himself at the last possible moment. The rescuer is usually a benevolent character who identifies himself with the good role of the protagonist. An ideal melodrama, therefore, must have a protagonist and an antagonist. The protagonist always fights the antagonist who is usually poised to destroy goodness. In the end, the characters are easily identified ...

Comedy: We use the words 'comedy' and comic to describe something that is funny in our everyday lives. These include a joke or a fantastic story that is full of nonsense, or an absurd appearance that makes us giggle, smile or laugh. Comedy is not inherent in things or people but the way things/people are perceived. Comedy is a deliberate presentation of events/experiences drawn from real life but not the same with real life. We should therefore not expect dramatic comedy to be the same as real life. Generally, the plays have good endings or resolutions, so when a play ends happily, we refer to it as comedy. In most comedies, the principal characters begin in a state of opposition either to one another or to their world or both. By the end of the play their opposition .is replaced by harmony. Aristotle in-.his “Poetics” insisted that in tragedy men are shown “better than they are”, while in comedy “worse than they are”. For him it is an artistic imitation of men of inferi...

TYPES OF DRAMA Tragedy: We are familiar with the words 'tragedy' and tragic as they are associated with misfortune. Usually, they are used to describe personal misfortunes that do not concern the rest of the society. For example, the breakdown of a marriage or death of a dear one in an accident or even natural causes could be described as tragic. Also, some public events that are unpleasant like the assassination of a head of state or a political leader, natural or human disasters like earthquakes, flood disasters, plane crashes and other such disasters are referred to as tragedies. Tragedy according to the Oxford English Dictionary is “a play of a serious or solemn kind ... a very sad event, action or experience.” The last part of the definition explains why the word is used .to describe misfortunes, natural and human disasters in everyday life. Tragedy in drama is believed to have originated from the Greek worship of Dionysius, the god of wine and fertility. During the...

Dramatic Illusion: Drama thrives on illusion because what is presented is not reality but an illusion of reality. Whenever we are watching any dramatic presentation, we very well that they are ‘pretending’ to be what they are not yet we empathize with the characters. Dramatic illusion involves a willing suspension of disbelief. If the play Hamlet is presented on stage and as we watch the graveyard scene, Ophelia’s burial, for instance, we would see the actress being ‘buried’. In reality, the actress’ name may not be Ophelia; she has not died; the grave is not a real grave; .and the grave diggers may be wealthy professionals hut we enjoy the play without bothering about whether they are real or not. In other words, we pretend that what we are watching is real. The Fourth Wall: The fourth wall refers to the fourth wall of the room that is pulled down for the audience to watch the play. In reality, a room has four walls so if a play? especially events of the play stage performanc...

DRAMATIC CONVENTIONS In drama,   playwright tries to present life as it is lived in the real world. However, it is not possible to present real life on stage so he presents an illusion of reality. He needs certain devices to make this illusion as realistic as possible and the audience accepts the devices. In Shakespearean plays, sometimes a character talks to himself and this is called soliloquy. In real life people do not talk to themselves like that but since the public especially in that age accepted it, it becomes a convention. Also in the Classical Age the convention was that the dialogue is presented in verse but in the modem convention in most plays the dialogue is presented in prose. Another good example of dramatic convention is in play production where the convention is that a room has three walls instead of the four walls and the action of a play in which the events take place in various places is presented on a single stage. In the words of Abrams, “conventions a...

Setting: Setting is the location of a play. It is the time and place when and where the action of the play takes place. It is the background against which the work of art is projected. Setting is very important in a play because it helps us to appreciate the background of the play. Also in productions it helps the designers to design appropriate locale, atmosphere, and costume for the play. We can identify the setting through the names of characters. Types of Setting: (a) Geographical/Physical/Occupational : This is the actual geographical location of the story and whatever surrounds the place where the story is located. It also includes the manner of daily living of the people. This helps in locating the story; for example, it helps We to know if the action of the play takes place in an urban centre or a village, or a bush, or a market place and so on. We can identify the physical setting easily in some plays because the playwright mentions some known landmarks like the names...