COMPETITION EVENTS AS A TOOL FOR STIMULATING CREATIVITY AT THE NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND CULTURE (NAFEST).

Abstract

This study is an analysis of the National Festival of Arts and Culture's Competition events as a tool for stimulating creativity. Competitive events platform is the avenue designed by the organizers of NAFEST to determine the overall winner of each event at the festival. The study adopted Instrumentation Theory by Hans Bressers and Rosenau (2000). Primary and Secondary method of data collection were used for data collection. Primary method was used through the instrumentality of participant observation, while secondary materials were sourced from published articles and reports of NAFEST. Also reliance on other materials like the cultural policy and culture journals, magazines were fully exploited. The technique for data analysis was Charles Spearman rho correlation coefficient analysis. Findings from the study revealed that there is no correlation between competition events at NAFEST and the stimulation of creativity. It further revealed that competitiveness created the quest to win at all cost, which did not allow seamless stimulation of creativity. The study recommended that the organizers of NAFEST should remove the competitive component of the event from the festival and make all events noncompetitive.