Democracy and Human Rights in Nigeria: Proffering a TfD Approach

Abstract

Democracy popularly regarded as the government of the people, by the people and for the people remains one of the best systems of government owing to the fact that elected representatives are seen to be accountable to the people and can also be removed through periodic elections. The advent of democracy in Nigeria after many years of military rule has opened up a vista for free and fair elections as well as given the opportunity for the majority to be represented and participated in decision making process for the betterment of the society as a whole. The beginning of democratic rule in 1999 has brought a lot of hopes to Nigerians. To many it opened the door of progress, growth and development they have waited for over the years. Despite all these, Nigeria still remains a habitation of the good, the bad and the ugly. This is because, with all the strength and celebration of democracy in the country, the rights of many Nigerians have been relegated to the background thereby neglecting the necessity of their existence as a people. Social maladies such as bad governance, corruption, poverty, lack of inclusion of masses in the decision making processes, economic imbalance, power tussle, control and domination by the super structure and many other leadership problems have become the bane of her development. In this paper, the researchers use Theatre for Development as an approach to conscientise and give voice to community members to stand and speak against any form of injustice or ill-treatment that may be meted to them by those in power. The paper concludes that, as an interventionist, participatory and alternative theatre, TfD can engage and enlighten the people on human rights and democracy as well as encourage them to participate in the protection, progress and development of their communities without waiting for government‟s intervention.