Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

Minor issues if unresolved are like a time bomb waiting to explode into uncontrollable dimension. The experiment which used Applied Theatre as conflict resolution strategy exposed some students’ angst against the Driver’s Welfare Association, operators of the Ifitte Unizik Bus Stand. The work is hinged on the postulation of Peter Brook’s Theory of Empty Space and the theatrical practice of Brazilian’s Augusto Boal who took theatrical performances to the people. The drama production succeeded in presenting the issues in a seamless and unobstructive manner. The post performance dialogue with the audience focused on the themes of the performance. The revelations from the analyses of the scenarios during the post production discussions show that drama is effective as a conflict resolution strategy. During a follow-through session, the researcher observed that most of the issues raised during the performance have been attended to; most especially, the researcher was gladly informed that the University authority had concluded an agreement with a philanthropist for a total reconstruction of the park which has been completed before this report was concluded.

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