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190 

 

COMMUNITY THEATRE AND ENVIRONMENTAL 

EDUCATION: THE UKWU ORJI BUS PARK PROJECT 

 

Aghamelu, Helen Udumaga  

Department of Theatre and Film Studies, 

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka 

hu.aghamelu@unizik.edu.ng 

 

Abstract 

Environmental issues in recent times are gaining greater attention 

globally. Every community is witnessing one form of the 

environmental problem within its locality. These environmental 

problems include but are not limited to the following; water 

pollution, Erosion menace, oil spillage, desertification, and 

flooding. Various environmental policies have been put in place by 

the government and its environmental agencies to tackle these 

problems but the menace remains persistent because the target has 

not been reached. To achieve the targeted goal, there is a need for 

the public to be duly educated on environmental protection using 

appropriate media that can easily impact the grass root. This paper 

advocates that community theatre should be used to educate the 

public on the dangers of environmental degradation and the 

benefits of its protection. The paper is anchored on Bertolt Breckt’s 

Theatre of the Oppressed which emphasises theatre that propels the 

spectator to action. Using qualitative research for data collection 

and analysis, the paper explores community theatre as a means of 

educating the masses on environmental matters. The paper 

concludes that for the government to win the war against 

environmental degradation, a medium of information 

dissemination that involves the people is needed. It, therefore, 



Aghamelu: Community Theatre and Environmental Education… 

191 

 

recommends the use of community theatre in this regard to take the 

message of environmental sanitation closer to the people.  

Keywords:  Environment, Environmental education, 

Community theatre. Environmental awareness,  

 

Introduction 

Every community in Nigeria is battling with one form of 

environmental problem or the other. As the arid part of the country 

is battling desertification, the wetlands are battling flooding and 

erosion. The cities are not left out, as industrialisation has ushered 

in air and water pollution due to poor waste disposal and other 

human activities that contribute negatively to the environment. The 

importance of the environment in man’s life is so much so that it 

affects his dress, occupation, what he eats and drinks, where he 

lives and how he lives, and where he goes.  It even affects the 

manner he worships and relates to his creator. Putting it more 

succinctly, Yaki and Babagana see the environment as “the total of 

all conditions, living and non-living that surround man at a given 

time. It is the common heritage of mankind” (1).  The state of the 

environment is the basis for man’s survival in the physical world, 

hence the need for its protection.  The importance of the 

environment is further highlighted by Alami and Adekunle when 

they stated that “the quality of the environment affects the quality 

of our lives.  Our actions as producers, consumers, voters and 

procreators have a cumulative impact on the quality of the 

environment that sustains it” (25).   

Agenda, 21 of the global agenda adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit 

in Rio de Janeiro, advocates for environmental education that will 

reflect the need for sustainable development in the 21st century. In 



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line with the above, environmental agencies and stakeholders in 

Nigeria have been saddled with the task of taking the message of 

environmental protection to the masses to aid in the control and 

prevention of environmental degradation in the country. Various 

efforts have been put in place by the nation’s Ministry of 

Environment, National Conservation Foundation and other 

environmental stakeholders towards solving the environmental 

problems in Nigeria. Despite all the noticeable efforts, the resultant 

implementation has yielded little or no positive fruits. This can be 

attributed to a lack of awareness and other factors on the part of the 

people.  Therefore, a need arises for adopting a more effective 

approach to taking the message of the environment to the people.    

Environmental education is a way of enhancing the awareness of 

people on environmental issues, understanding the environment 

and the importance of its conservation and protection, to find a 

lasting solution to the numerous environmental problems in their 

community. It aims to inculcate the people the skills and needs to 

handle environmental problems for better living conditions. Thus 

Tayo and Alaba define it as “a new approach to education which is 

hoped will bring some solution to the deteriorating relationship 

between man and his environment.”(1326). The above is saying 

that environmental education creates awareness for people to 

understand the environment and make intelligent decisions that 

will take care of it for the good of mankind. For clearer 

understanding, the UNESCO document defines it as: 

A living process that increases people’s knowledge and 

consciousness about the environment and associated 

challenges develops the necessary skills and expertise to 

address the challenges and foster attitude, motivation and 



Aghamelu: Community Theatre and Environmental Education… 

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commitment to make informed decisions and take 

responsible actions (52).  

Environmental education is primarily, information on 

environmental issues that are meant to guide the individual to a 

better understanding, and consequently, better handling of the 

environment for optimal benefit from the immediate environment. 

It provides factual information that will lead to an understanding of 

the environment and its problems, and encourages people to 

develop concern for environmental protection and safety.  Katie 

Kinner defines it as “a process that allows individuals to explore 

environmental issues, engage in problem-solving and take action 

to improve the environment” (np).   

The importance of environmental education is that It informs the 

people of the manner and need to safeguard the environment by 

imbibing positive environmental habits to sustain the balance of the 

ecosystem.  According to Alami and Adekunle: 

Environmental education aims to develop a citizenry that is 

aware of and concerned about the total environment and its 

associated problems and has the knowledge, attitudes, 

motivation, and problems, as well as the prevention of new 

ones (25).  

In the words of William Stapp: 

Environmental education aims to produce a citizenry 

knowledgeable concerning the biophysical environment 

and its associated problems, aware of how to help solve 

them and motivated to work towards their solution (34).  

From the above, one can deduce that environmental education 

creates creative environmental consciousness towards 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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environmental protection for positive living conditions. It is 

pertinent that people need to understand the environment and their 

responsibility towards its safety. Given this, the need arises for 

people to be educated on matters relating to the environment 

because it promotes awareness and mobilises the people to action 

on environmental protection.    

Observations have shown that this important education aimed at 

salvaging the environment is lacking at the grass root hence the 

poor environmental habits being displayed by the people. Alaba 

and Tayo attested to this by stating that” the people at the grass root 

lack environmental consciousness; hence there is a need for more 

campaigns to help change people’s behaviour at the local 

community level (1326). Ubong Nda points out that the global 

environmental problem needs serious attention and calls for “the 

enunciation of creative ideas that would take the message of 

environmental salvaging to persons of different classes and ages” 

(142).  

Community Theatre is a creative medium of communication that is 

informative, educative, entertaining and at the same time works 

directly with people irrespective of class or age. Dang’a and Kabela 

define it as: 

 a participatory theatre in which the people themselves 

engage issues about their own lives for their immediate 

consumption and which promotes development by 

stimulating dialogue within them using their familiar 

artistic expressions like songs, dances proverbs, mimes, 

local norms and culture, etcetera (17).   

Community theatre is a unique art bound with its originality and 

readiness to intervene in the developmental discourse by 



Aghamelu: Community Theatre and Environmental Education… 

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employing its overwhelming adaptability to social situations. 

According to John Cohen-Cross, it is a “community-based theatre, 

a popular mode allied with identity politics and targeting under-

represented groups in the quest for creative expression” (115). For 

Obadiegwu, community theatre is “a practice by which theatre is 

placed at the service of the people to discuss and work out 

strategies for dealing with their problems “(ix). This type of theatre 

is people-oriented hence the general acceptance of community 

theatre as a theatre for the people, by the people and with the 

people. Thus Chukwu Okoronkwo sees it as a process of 

“discussing development as a group and catalysing the discussion 

rather than presenting a solution to the community” (686). Being a 

process and not a finished project, community theatre is a 

continuous project that allows for follow-up visits  

The viability of community theatre in educating and informing the 

masses can be attributed to its uniqueness in dealing with the 

problems of the host community using theatricalities available 

within their vicinity. Its participatory nature also gave it an upper 

hand ahead of other communication media. As Adie Okoro and 

Orim rightly put it, “One cannot effect change without being 

involved in the larger process of change” (np). This participatory 

quality of community theatre encourages collaboration with the 

host community and allows them to voice out their perception of 

the issue at hand with a view to proffering solutions.  They are 

mobilised to actively evolve intellectually, and materially to come 

to a thorough understanding of their problem and in the process, 

proffer solutions.  Eyo (1986) quoted in Adie, Okoro and Orim 

observed that the “implication of using community theatre as a 

participatory tool for social change is quite enormous as it allows 

for discussion, interaction, mobilisation to bring out communal 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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changes”(np). Through community theatre, therefore, the host 

community develops new strategies for tackling issues inherent in 

their community for a desired positive change Okhaku and 

Evawoma-Enuku observed that:  

in community theatre, drama is used as an educational 

springboard and not necessarily entertainment, through 

which the community can deal with the issues of concern 

to its members and associates (np).  

On the usefulness of community theatre for development, 

Obadiegwu observed that community theatre: 

 is used by development agents as an alternative medium to 

confront and combat apathy in a given situation. It is also a 

means of addressing communal problems by motivating 

members of such a community to change (77). 

Aba (1990), quoted in Adie, Okoro and Orim further states that: 

 Community theatre is not a professional affair and 

therefore does not require professional attitudes to harness 

it. what it requires is the collective aspirations and decisions 

of people wanting to use theatre to develop their 

environment … Community theatre entails the use of 

communal participation from problem identification and 

research to staging (np). 

This paper is specific on the use of community theatre to educate 

the people on the need for environmental protection for a healthier 

and wealthier living using “Ukwuorji Minimarket Pallava”, a 

community Theatre project executed by 2021/2022  300 level 

students of Theatre and Film Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, 

Awka, as a case study.  



Aghamelu: Community Theatre and Environmental Education… 

197 

 

Community theatre helps in conveying sensitive information to a 

given community. It presents the host community with situations 

that can easily engage them emotionally, aesthetically and 

intellectually. The sole objective of community theatre is to 

stimulate the community into action to address and identify 

communal problem(s).  

This is the objective behind the Ukwu Orji Market project.  The 

Bus Park is a mini park with a flourishing fruit and vegetables mini 

market located in a residential area in IfiteAwka, Awka South 

Local Government Area in Anambra state. It is a community of 

civil servants and petty traders.  The park is experiencing serious 

environmental problems resulting from human activities, such as 

poor sanitation and neglect. When the crew first visited the 

community for fact-finding, the following information was 

gathered: 

1. The drainage in front of the park is filled with refuse, thus 

blocking them.  

2. The culvert leading into the park is broken 

3. Inside the park is littered with rotten fruits and vegetables 

abandoned by the sellers. 

4. There are pocket heaps of refuse at different spots within 

the park. 

The crew also discovered that the market women are not 

cooperative hence the dirty state of the environment. They also 

discovered that the refuse dump opposite the park has not been 

evacuated for a long time because the community members have 

been defaulting regularly on the payment of sanitation levy. Hence 

the area is filled with a pungent odour emanating from the dump 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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with flies roaming about in their numbers in and around the park. 

This reduces the number of buyers patronising the fruit market 

because the fruits are believed to be contaminated.  This 

environmental condition also affects the bus drivers as passengers 

preferably patronise the Keke (tricycle) drivers outside the park 

because of the unhealthy condition of the park. On these facts, the 

students, in collaboration with the community members, weaved a 

story titled “Ukwu Orji Market Palava”.    

“Ukwu Orji Market Palava” is a drama skit with a simple storyline 

that is woven around environmental protection and its benefits. In 

the drama, the market women and the bus drivers are dragging over 

whose responsibility it is to keep the park clean. The drivers insist 

that it is the traders’ responsibility since they are the ones that litter 

it with remnants from their stalls. The traders on the other hand are 

adamant that the park should be cleaned by the drivers because they 

and their passengers contribute to its dirtiness. The park chairman 

intervened to save the situation and scheduled a compulsory 

meeting for all members of the park to discuss a way forward. After 

the meeting, which also has in its attendance, the representative of 

the Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA), an 

agency of the Ministry of Environment that bears the responsibility 

of evacuation of refuse in the state.  

After the meeting, both groups were made to understand the importance 

of keeping the park clean for the growth of their business. They are made 

to understand that the responsibility of keeping the park clean falls on 

every member of the community. Through the ASWAMA representative, 

the government promised to ensure the regular evacuation of the refuse 

from the refuse dump and urged the community members to be regular 

with their payment of sanitation levy. They are advised to open up the 

drainages for free movement of flood and desist from the habit of 

dumping refuse inside them. A short speech on environmental protection 

was given by the ASWAMA representative and in appreciation for their 



Aghamelu: Community Theatre and Environmental Education… 

199 

 

understanding, free refuse bags were shared and safer refuse disposal 

methods were taught to the sellers.  The meeting was rounded off with a 

dance in appreciation for the new development. 

 

Achievements 

At the end of the performance, the salient point made is that 

if environmental protection is included in the day-to-day activities 

of the people, they stand to gain more from it. Following this, the 

Chairman of the park promised to ensure that the environmental 

condition of the park is improved. The project helped in informing 

the sellers of the need to keep their business environment clean to 

increase patronage from customers who are more likely to 

patronise them if the environment is cleaner. The drivers also 

promised to open up the drainages for the easy flow of flood. On 

the part of the government, the ASWAMA Boss representative, 

invited to the performance by the students, promised to ensure that 

the refuse dump opposite the park is regularly evacuated.  

Conclusion 

The project aims to make the park occupants see the need 

for keeping the park/mini market clean. Though we are aware that 

we are not in the position to solve the entire problems of the park, 

as we are not in the position to provide the trash cans or employ the 

cleaners, we were able to bring to the knowledge of the members 

of the community that their behaviours and habits contribute either 

positively or negatively to the environment.   

Nigeria, and indeed, the entire universe is facing serious 

environmental challenges. In the face of these challenges, 

community theatre can be used to educate people on the extent their 

behaviours and habits can help in tackling the global environmental 

problem. Community theatre is participatory in nature. In addition 



AMA: Journal of Theatre and Cultural Studies 

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to this, it also employs dialogue in discussing and working out 

strategies suitable for handling every problem it encounters in the 

host community. This allows the people to reflect on their problems 

and their causes, and then decide on possible solutions. The use of 

drama as an educational springboard in addressing an identified 

communal problem stimulates the people to action towards solving 

such a problem.  

Ukwuorj Market Palava is proof that community theatre places 

theatre at the service of the people for environmental education. 

Through this theatrical performance, members of the community 

are encouraged to discard their negative environmental attitude and 

replace it with a more positive one to ensure the safety of their 

environment. 

 

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