Research Group Overview

Overview

The development of physical and intellectual skills appears to be the major focus of many of our institutions of learning while positive moral attitudes and behaviours, such as honesty, humility, brotherliness, diligence, respect for elders, perseverance, have gradually faded away. These values can be taught through the intangible cultural heritage such as folktales. Exchange of moral values for physical development and skills is a misplaced priority, a country pursuing advancement must be ready to build responsible, accountable, trustworthy, creative and diligent leaders of tomorrow. The constant exposure of any aspect of culture to children is like planting a living seed into their minds. The instrument of modern technology and techniques have a great potential in the realization of this goal if well deployed.

Digital cartoons have become an important modern tool in child and adult education. Modern technologies and media have been exploited to make learning accessible to a variety of people from various age ranges, social and cultural backgrounds. The power of digital Information Technology as a tool for delivery learning in a variety of forms and with animation makes it useful for deploying child centered instruction. However, the digital instructional tools available in indigenous Nigerian languages are limited in educational contents and indigenous language use based on general observations. Those that are in the public domain are not directed at, and hence inappropriate for, child education. Moreover, traditional African societies are rich in folktales that can be adapted as instrument for child education.

Therefore, this project is concerned with the creation of digital animated cartoons for narratives of folktales in indigenous languages, targeting child education in African cultural context. What is presented in cartoon and animation is purposeful depending on the goal of the creator. Hence, deliberately creating cartoon and animation based on indigenous folktales tailored toward subject content of learning and character building has a great potential to positively shape the moral behaviour of children especially in recent times when one of the major problems facing the society is a result of moral decadence.