| Abstract: |
Proverb, as a genre in communication is cultural universal, not every Indigenous
language user is versed in it, and moreover, its usage as an indigenous
communication mode is waning. It is often the challenge that Yoruba in diaspora and
even those fairly accustomed to the Western education and culture have the tendency
to relegate their indigenous culture to the background, thereby, engendering cultural
integration. The movie industry has the proclivity of cultural promotion and revival.
This study examined the exposure to and portrayal of proverbs in Yoruba Nollywood
films in the conversations and socialization of Yoruba natives in foreign countries,
including the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Canada. Anchored
on the Social Learning theory, and Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural cognitive theory.
The study adopted the non-probability sampling technique to choose the
respondents. Responses from twenty-one respondents, chosen through purposive
and snowball sampling techniques were analyzed using both the descriptive and
inferential statistics. Findings revealed that 90.5% of the respondents watch Yoruba
Nollywood films such as Anikulapo, Ayinla, Sango etc; which contain proverbs The
respondents use Yoruba proverbs in conversations and socialisation to promote
cultural heritage; the use of proverbs in some select Yoruba Nollywood films has the
potential to enhance and sustain the usage of proverbs in conversations and in the
socialization process of Yoruba language users to enhance cultural identity and
prevent cultural extinction. It is recommended that Yoruba film producers should
intensify the production of Yoruba films deep in Yoruba cultural heritage. |
