Abstract: Nigeria is the most culturally diverse country in Africa with over two hundred and fifty (250) ethnic groups and over five hundred (500) languages. Power mongers have been taking advantage of Nigeria’s ethnic plurality to create divisions and increase tensions among the various cultural groups. Accordingly, this informs the need to promote and advocate for cohesion among the different ethnic groups to fortify the nation’s seeming fragile bond of unity. This study intends to demonstrate how social cohesion can be achieved through animated proverbs, using four ethnic groups of Plateau State - Tarok, Berom, Ngas and Mwaghavul – to make a case. The research investigates selected proverbs of the aforementioned languages from a compendium of animated proverbs published on a YouTube channel known as Beautiful Plateau Proverbs. Plateau State, located in North-Central Nigeria, is home to over 53 native languages. Thus, the paper argues that the quest for social cohesion is not entirely new but has been in existence among most ethnic groups as encapsulated in their proverbs. The overarching theme of social cohesion is presented through the sub-themes of tolerance, harmonious co-existence, and hard work. The study anchors on functionalist theory which posits that every work of orature must satisfy some important cultural, social, or psychological function for the cohesion and stability of the society. On the whole, the paper reveals that proverbs remain a vibrant tool in teaching and promoting cohesion, especially among youths of the present generation who tend to be more divisive due to political and economic realities, and this highlights the role of content creators or digital ethnographers in promoting social cohesion through their works.
Keywords: Plateau proverbs, animation, cohesion, orature, and functionalist
DOI: www.doi.org/10.36349/tjllc.2025.v04i01.010
author/Jibril Yusuf & Umar Aliyu Bunza
journal/Tasambo JLLC 4(1) | May 2025 |
