ENHANCING THE CREATIVE SKILLS OF ARTISANS AND CRAFTSMEN IN NSUKKA INDUSTRIAL MARKET ENUGU STATE NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to evolve ways of enhancing the creative and innovative competencies of artisans and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market of Enugu state. It was designed to identify strategies for   enhancing   creative   and   innovative   competencies;   determine   how   creative   and   innovative competencies are transferred from master artisans and craftsmen to the apprentices; identify strategies for improving informal apprenticeship training programme for the artisans and craftsmen; identify strategies for conducting formal educational programme for artisans and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market; and to evolve strategies for enhancing theoretical and technical skills of artisans and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. Six research questions that guided the study are: (i) How can the creative and innovative skills of Artisans and Craftsmen in Nsukka Industrial market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State be enhanced? (ii) How are these skills transferred from master artisans and craftsmen to their apprentices at the industrial market?  (iii) What are the strategies for improving the informal apprenticeship training programme for the artisans and craftsmen? (iv) What are the suitable strategies for conducting formal education programmes for artisans and craftsmen?  (v) How can the theoretical competencies of artisans and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State be enhanced? (vi) How can the technical skills of  artisans  and  craftsmen  in  the  Nsukka  Industrial  Market  of  Nsukka  Local  Government  Area  be enhanced? The study employed descriptive survey design. The population of the study consisted of 624 which was the total number of registered members of the Association of self-Employed artisans and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market. There was no sampling since all the artisans and craftsmen were within reach. Questionnaire containing 69 question items based on a 4 – point likert scale was developed and used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts. In addition, secondary data were collected from relevant documents and through participant observations and visit to various artisans and craftsmen. During such visit, photographs were taken and documented. The master artisans and craftsmen were also interviewed using the questionnaire as a guide. The data generated were analyzed using frequency and simple percentages. The major findings of the study were that majority of artisans and  craftsmen  in  Nsukka  industrial  market  possessed  GCE/WAEC/SSCE/TECH  (37.58%)  FSLC (27.21%) and City and Guide/WASCE TECH/NAB TECH (19.85%). Those with OND/NCE TECH and HND.B.Sc, Med/MSc degree were 8.46% and 1.65% respectively, while those without formal education were just 3.15%. The field visit further revealed that the artisans and craftsmen possess some high degree of creative and innovative competencies, technical skills and theoretical competencies in their area of production. The study identified strategies for enhancing creative and innovative competencies of artisans and craftsmen in the industrial market. The strategies identified include: provision and use of adequate and functional working tools; use of projectors, televisions, power points and other multi-media for presentation  of new  concepts  and documents;  possession  of creative thinking and  innovative skills; organizing  trade  fares  and  art  exhibitions  for  artisans  and  craftsmen  in  Nsukka  industrial  market; invitation  of  experts  to  train  apprentices  for  master  artisans  and  craftsmen  to  enroll  for  evening programme courses in technical colleges and polytechnics; retraining master artisans and craftsmen; introduction of school based apprenticeship training. And compulsory apprentices industrial attachment with government establishment and industries; organizing adult evening school programmes and part time evening courses for artisans and craftsmen at all levels  of education. It  was recommended that the strategies  identified  in  this  study  to  improve  creative and  innovative competencies  of  artisans  and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market of Enugu state should urgently be implemented. The implementation  should  be  done  by  the   government   in  collaboration   with  private  individual’s organizations educational and technical institutions as well as the universities.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Creativity deals with human mind and its operations. The role of creative arts education in the society remains the same, but the advent of technology has added innovative ways to express the creative spirit. Today’s artists and educators use technology to create designs and generate all types of creative works and multi-media.

Otis (2009) states that, regardless of career choices learners will be required to: collaborate, communicate, think critically, and be creative and to best prepare learners, the creative  Arts  education  must  challenge  all  learners  to  grow  in  skills  and  stretch  both academically and artistically.

Rousseau in his theory of learning recognizes the need for a child to be prepared for the future. Within the child is a reservoir of potential energy they don’t need immediately. The educators task is to hold back the energy until it can be used effectively. (EP – Encyclopedia of philosophy 1967).   Rousseau   was not only remarkable because he  believed that  a child’s creative education should be focused on his/her interests early, but also because he believed that allowing free expression and a focus on the environment instead of repressing curiosity will produce a well balanced, free thinking creative child.    (roussean.html).

The theoretical bases of the assertion that creativity is the hub of educational technology, emanates from previous studies on early child development by Rousseau,  research on creative and mental growth by Lowenfield (1975), where they discovered that the process of creative production is more complex than as previously under stood. It became clear that apart from skills, in sights of a higher order are called to play and engaging in the creative process of an

individual learner. Nwoke (1978) asserts that every human being possesses an inherent creative ability with which to contribute positively to human development. This, therefore, means that the human mind can develop beyond “static” means and thus, emphasizes the need to identify creative people at an early stage, nurtured through developing these creative efforts and skills. In technologically advanced countries, the greatest emphasis is placed on creativity and innovation during the formative stage of young people. According to Nwoko (1978), childhood days are spent entirely on creative play, while for youths in schools and colleges emphases are on creative experiments and innovations.

According to  Lowenfield and  Britain  (1975.6)  creativity  means  flexibility  of thinking or fluency of ideas or it may be the ability to come up with new and novel ideas. A more useful approach is to view creativity as the process of generating ideas whilst seeing innovation as the sifting, refining and  more critically – the  implementation of those ideas. Creativity is about divergent thinking. Innovation is about convergent thinking. Creativity is about the generation of ideas and innovation is about putting them into action. In Nigeria, the creativity of our artisans, technicians, or craftsmen is awesome (Adebowale, 2010). But poverty as a result of lack of opportunity, poor infrastructural development, among others has always denied such folks from translating such wealth of ideas and creativity into money. Going by this, it should not be strange, that we are more of a consuming nation than a producing one. According to Shogo (1979):

True creativity requires strong, individual character as well as a willingness to learn from others. The foundation of such creativity is mastery of tradition. From that foundation creativity develops through the constant challenge of exposure to new and different things. The curiosity which is peculiar to artists can replenish such creativity through travel and participation in exhibitions.

Shogo, (1979) pointed out that,  exposure to  new and different experiences must  be evaluated   with   discernment   and   insight   gained   through   rigorous   self-discipline   and

apprenticeship training. The ability to distinguish the genuine from the fake and seek the pure while discarding non-essentials is the mark of the creative craftsman. According to Ogboji (2008):

People who are creative reason and design things in a puzzling manner. They tend to change existing ideas and evolve their own ideas towards development of mankind. Those individuals formulate ideas, design things and  carry  out  activities  in  a  manner  that  is  quite  new,  strange  and unfamiliar to others.

Indigenous Artisans and Craftsmen will continue to thrive because, when we talk about their creative works and production, we are talking about the creative skills and referring to their industries and application of technology to the production of art forms involved, and the use of their creative skills techniques and self employed in the production of crafts wares. Diogu (2004) stated that the economic hardship we experience now in Nigeria has contributed greatly to the development  of  art  and  craft  production  fulltime  and  this  has  led  to  the  development  of innovative designs for local consumption and for export.

According to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / the World Bank (2010):

Innovation means technologies or practices that are new to a given society. They are not necessarily new in absolute terms. These technologies or practices are being diffused in that economy or society. It is important to note that, what is not disseminated and used is not an innovation.

Artisans and craftsmen could be argued to  be, by their  very nature, the essence of creativity and innovation. They implement creative ideas to introduce innovative products or services, or to deliver products or services in a new, more efficient, and hence innovative way. An artisan, is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including tools and machines (Engineering Network, 2012). An artisan is therefore a person engaged in or occupied by the practice of a craft, who through experience and sometimes,

talent reach the expressive level of an art in his work and what he creates. An artisan gain expertise mainly from constant hands-on job exposure. An artisan is a skilled manual worker who crafts items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewelry, household items and tools. The term is also used to refer to the craft of hand-making food products, such as bread, beverage and cheese. Manufacture by hand and with hand tools imparts unique and individual qualities to artisanal products, in contrast to mass-produced goods, where everyone is nearly identical. Artisans traditionally work in media, such as wood, ceramics, glass, common and precious metals, basketry, textiles, esparto grass and leather. Artisans employ creative thinking and manual dexterity to produce their goods (Eneh, 2010). They were dominant producers of goods before the Industrial Revolutions of the 18th and 19th Century Europe and North America, respectively.

Artisans constitute about 30-35% of the population and create much of the beauty, grace, fun and excitement the rest of the people enjoy in life (Eneh, 2010). Artisanship and technical skills and services are critical to the development of nations. Skills acquisition is the key to grassroots empowerment (Akosile, 2007).  Adaptive skills develop  both the  personality and manipulative skill capability of youth (Abassa, 2003; Unoarumi, 2009). They rescue street youth, ghetto youth and the destitute from gangsterism, drug abuse, crime/violence and other vicious involvements (Umar, 2008) that mar the social, cultural and economic development of countries. They address unemployment by providing youth with self-sustaining job skills (API SmartBrief, 2007).

All artisans share the following core characteristics: (1) fun-loving, optimistic, realistic and focused on the here-and-now; (2) priding themselves in being unconventional, bold and spontaneous;  (3)  making  playful  mates,  creative  parents  and  troubleshooting  leaders;  (4)

excitability,  trusting their  impulses, wanting to  make a  splash, seeking stimulation, prizing freedom and dreaming of mastering action skills (Eneh, 2010).

Artisans want to be where the action is; they seek out adventure and show a constant hunger for pleasure and stimulation. They believe that variety is the spice of life and that doing things that  are not  fun or exciting  is a waste of time. They are  impulsive, adaptable, and competitive and believe the next throw of the dice will be the lucky one. They can also be generous to a fault, always ready to share with their friends from the bounty of life. Above all, artisans need to be free to do what they wish, when they wish. They resist being tied or bound or confined or obligated; they would rather not wait, or save, or store, or live for tomorrow. In the artisan view, today must be enjoyed, for tomorrow never comes.

A master artisan is an entrepreneur, willing and able to take business risks for gainful purposes and has a strong desire to be independent, to work at something he enjoys (rather than settle for the security of a steady income), to operate at his pace and for prestige and to be recognized (Eneh, 2007). Most of these artisans and craftsmen acquire their creative, innovative and entrepreneurial skills through apprenticeship training.

Apprenticeship training according to Johnson (1982), is the learning of trade, arts or other callings  by  practical  experience  under  the  guidance  of  a  master,  perhaps  also  with  some classroom studies. It is an important means of training skilled craftsmen and artisans. Apprenticeship is an arrangement whereby an infant or adult male or female bonds himself/ herself to serve and learn for a definite time from a master who on his own side covenants to teach his/her own trade or callings to the apprentice (Okorie and Ezeji, 1998).

The present  form of apprenticeship in Nigeria  is  characterized by a written or oral contract between the master (artisan or craftsman) and his apprentice. Apprenticeship in Nigeria is widely done by subjecting the apprentice to learn from the master by initiation, recitation,

observation, imagination, and repetition of the master’s performances and morals (Agusiobo, 1981). Most often, the training is done in an informal setting.

Olaitan (1987) asserted that early apprenticeship system gave rise to the development of industrial education in Nigeria, as evident in the traditional crafts and arts available in all parts of the country, such as weaving, carving and iron mongering. On his part, Agarwal (1985) stated that indigenous apprenticeship training began as part of a wide educational process in which the Nigeria society passed on their cultural heritage from one generation to another.

Artisans and  craftsmen are  practical  workers that  rely  exclusively on  their  creative ingenuity, apprenticeship training and daily experiences in executing their works and services to the satisfaction of their customers and also to improve their own standard of living (Akosile 2007). In the hierarchy of skilled personnel in Nigeria, artisans and craftsmen are seen as the lowest on the ladder of professionalism. This is because they were trained through informal apprenticeship education and  had  the  least  academic qualifications. Though,  most  of them graduated  from  primary  or  secondary  school  where  arts  and  crafts  were  not  given  full recognition, yet they apply functional arts in their various fields to create and innovate products of economic values. There is however the need to investigate the strategies for enhancing the creative skills of artisans and craftsmen in Nsukka Industrial Market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State Nigeria.

The Nsukka Industrial Market is located in the southern part of Nsukka Urban in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State (see map on page 12). The market is located on a piece of land owned by Umuakashi and Echara communities in Nsukka Local Government Area. The Industrial Market is bounded in the east by Echara Road, in the west by Ogurugu Road, in the north by Aku Road and in the south by Ikenga Hotel junction. According to Comrade Robinson Ezi, the pioneer Chairman of Nsukka Industrial Market (1986-1988), Nsukka Industrial Market

was established on July 31st, 1985 through the vision of Air Commodore Emeka Omeruah, the Military Administrator of the then Anambra State. It was later commissioned by Hon. G. M. Chiwetalu the then Sole Administrator of Nsukka Local Government Area. The industrial market took off with the artisans and craftsmen who had their workshops within and outside Nsukka town. Presently, there are six hundred and twenty four artisans and craftsmen engaged in various fields of arts and crafts (Nsukka Market Master, Nsukka Local Government Area Office). These include the metal workers, Perspex fabricators, computer colour mixers, graphic artists wood workers and upholstery makers. These artisans and craftsmen deal with functional arts and the focus of this investigation is to find the strategies for enhancing their creativity and innovative competencies.

1.2. Statement of the Problem

These artisans and craftsmen have creative and innovative competencies as well as other abilities for self reliance, social development and economic growth. They were trained through informal apprenticeship education and hence rank lowest in the personnel hierarchy, yet their contributions to  economic growth and development of Nigeria are quite remarkable (Eneh,

2010).

Oloidi (1989) asserted that popular art was taught  informally through the traditional African apprenticeship system, and that no entry qualification was required apart from moral standard. He further stated that as a result, many roadside artists of the fifties did not have more than primary education. The poor training background of the artisans and craftsmen seem to make them to be deficient in their skills acquisition and knowledge they do not always cope with the advances in current technological innovations now in vogue. They simply do their work with trial and error method which lead to their wasting of working materials and damaging of tools.

Technological advancement has therefore, introduced challenges in technological education in Nigeria which are evident in the invention and production of new equipment needed to explore our environment. The challenges put forward by the introduction of these modern equipments and work tools now necessitated that the skill competences of our artisans and craftsmen should be enhanced for better performance.

It is on this background therefore, that artisans and craftsmen at Nsukka Industrial Market need adequate measures to enhance their theoretical, technical, creative and innovative competencies relating to their specific trade to enable them cope with the challenges of the time. This  study therefore,  attempts  to  find  out  ways  of  improving  the  creative  and  innovative competencies of artisans and craftsmen and strategies for enhancing the apprenticeship training programmes in Nsukka Industrial Market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu state.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to identify the strategies for enhancing the creative and innovative skill competencies of Artisans and Craftsmen at Nsukka industrial market. Specifically, the study will:

1.      Identify the strategies for enhancing the creative and innovative skills of the artisans and craftsmen at  Nuskka industrial market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.

2.      Identify how the creative and innovative skills are transferred from master artisans and craftsmen to their apprentices in Nsukka industrial market.

3.      Identify the strategies for improving the informal apprenticeship training programme for the artisans and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market using formal teaching strategies.

4.      Identify  suitable  strategies  for  conducting  educational  programmes  for  artisans  and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market and beyond.

5.      Identify  the  strategies  for  enhancing  the  theoretical  competencies  of  artisans  and craftsmen at Nsukka industrial market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State

6.     Identify the strategies for enhancing the technical skills of Artisans and craftsmen at

Nsukka industrial market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State.

1.4      Significance of the Study

The findings of the study will be of great importance to the master artisans and craftsmen because it will serve as a training guide for their apprentices training programme. The findings will also enable the artisans and craftsmen to gain practical, theoretical and technical knowledge regarding the principles underlying their production.

The finding of this study will also be beneficial to the artisans and craftsmen apprentices because the creative skills if successfully transferred during training will improve their creative ingenuity and their production efficiency. They will also learn the basic elements of work habit as part of the entrepreneurial skills since majority of them will establish their own workshop or studio after graduation. The findings of this work will also help to reduce their frustration at work.

The ministry of education will also benefit from the findings because the information obtained from the study can be used to produce a curriculum for formal training of apprentices in evening or weekend programme. This will enhance the training of artisans and craftsmen and make their products more internationally acceptable.

The findings on the strategies for enhancing the competencies of artisans and craftsmen at Nsukka industrial market will be useful to the state government and federal government, this will equip the governments with the ways and means that would enable them design suitable programmes that can help improve the competencies of artisans and craftsmen in Nigeria so that they will contribute to develop Nigerian economy.

The study will be useful to organizations in Nigeria such as Industrial Training Fund, Non Governmental Organizations and other individuals that are interested in human resources development, to design suitable programmes that can help reduce deficiencies and enhance performance of Artisans and Craftsmen in Nigeria.

The  study will  be  useful to  vocational  schools  technical colleges, polytechnics and universities of technology in Nigeria in designing curriculum of studies or programmes of studies suitable for artisans and craftsmen in their various schools.

The study will be useful to the society as it  will help to address unemployment by providing youths with self sustaining job skills which will enhance their functionality in the society thus encouraging the development of the society.

1.5 Research Questions

The following research questions will be used to guide the study:

1.        How  can  the  creative  and  innovative  skills  of  Artisans  and  Craftsmen  in  Nsukka

Industrial market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State be enhanced?

2.         How are these skills transferred from master artisans and craftsmen to their apprentices at the industrial market?

3.          What are the strategies for improving the informal apprenticeship training programme for the artisans and craftsmen?

4.         What are the suitable strategies for conducting formal education programmes for artisans and craftsmen?

5.         How can the theoretical competencies of artisans and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State be enhanced?

6.        How can the technical skills of artisans and craftsmen in the Nsukka Industrial Market of

Nsukka Local Government Area be enhanced?

1.6 Delimitation of the Studies

This study covers the apprenticeship training among the artisans and craftsmen in the industrial market  and  the  strategies  for  enhancing creative  and  innovative competencies of artisans and craftsmen in Nsukka industrial market of Nsukka Local Government of Enugu State.

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