Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Segun Runsewe, has advocated the use of culture as therapy against COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that culture is the totality of the ways of life of a people and therefore could be employed to solve all human problems.
The NCAC boss said that the same way medical doctors use theatre as a place to heal the sick, and artists use the theatre to educate and entertain, adding that culture is a theatre of the mind and soul.
He noted that when a body, mind or spirit suffers challenges, culture could be a tool for resolving such challenges.
Runsewe emphasized that there is a global health challenge today arising from the outbreak of COVID-19.
He said that to address this health challenge, there was need for a combination of medical solution and cultural therapy.
He recalled that when King Saul in the Bible suffered serious medical condition, he solicited the services of David whose musical instrument, the harp, brought him to normalcy each time he was tormented by the evil spirit.
He said that in, like manner, the Lagos State government recently staged a musical concert at the isolation centre for people with COVID-19.
Otunba Runsewe pointed out that theatre, music, dance drama and songs which are elements of Nigeria’s culture could provide the necessary balm to speed up the healing of COVID-19 patients.
The NCAC boss revealed that in addition to all the council is doing to assist in the fight against COVID-19, it would soon stage a programme titled Cultural Therapy in the Midst of COVID-19.