NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA 10th Inaugural Lecture THE NEED TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND RECREATION, LEISURE AND TOURISM PRACTICES IN NIGERIA By: Professor Abubakar Garba Suleiman, School of Education, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Lagos. & Director, Abuja Model Study Centre, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Dutse Junction/Kubwa Expressway, FCT. DATE: JULY 12, 2016. 1 Introduction Advancement in technology the world over, including Nigeria decreased the number of working days and working hours, thereby providing more leisure time than ever before. This indeed has provided greater opportunities for participation in recreation, leisure and tourism activities. However, due to lack of awareness of the importance of recreation, leisure and tourism, very many people still continue to utilize their new found leisure either doing some work or doing nothing. There are no written records to show when Nigerians started to recreate and go on tour. The reason is that recreation and tourism activities are as old as man. However, the concepts ‘recreation’ and ‘tourism’ are still not understood by very many Nigerians. Many people just partake in leisure activities without knowing what they are or the scientific health benefits derived from them. Nigerians mostly partake in leisure activities in African traditional ways, before the coming of colonial masters to Nigeria, through celebration of agricultural seasons, harvesting of crops, crowning of traditional rulers, Obas, Chiefs and emirs. Before the invasion of Nigeria by the colonial masters, activities such as local wrestling (see plate 1), hunting, masquerade dance, Fulani festival activities, naming and marriage ceremonies, archery, swimming contests, horse racing, fishing, acrobatic displays and many movement activities were in place. Plate 1: Local Wrestling 2 When people are not adequately informed and educated on the significance of recreation, leisure and tourism in the total development of an individual, they tend to develop negative attitude towards them. The importance of recreation, leisure and tourism does not seem to be adequately appreciated. Many people seem to attach more importance to their work or businesses than to recreation and leisure pursuits, let alone go on tourism. It is necessary here to emphasize that people can only struggle well and think properly when they are mentally sound and physically fit. It is important to remember that whatever people acquire and possess in this world is of little or no value to them when they do not have good health. It is possible for a person to be alive even when his/her health is poor, but life cannot be full and meaningful without good health (Suleiman, 2010). In our daily activities, we no doubt need some rest and relaxation; and during holidays, we would not mind travelling to enjoy nature, get acquainted with new environments, refresh ourselves, be physically and mentally fit again and to return to our work happy, refreshed and rejuvenated. Recreation, leisure and tourism activities have been shown to significantly contribute to optimum health and productivity. Furthermore, they have much to offer to individuals when utilized in worthwhile activities, especially in areas of mental, social, physical and psychological developments. They are very wide in scope. They range from active physical pursuits to passive activities. They may also be in the form of individual or group activities. The purpose of recreation, leisure and tourism activities is fundamentally to provide human beings with experiences that will assist them in achieving a better state of well-being. All such experiences are directed towards the individual’s total development. Despite the abundant leisure hours we have today, availability of tourism and recreational materials and facilities, coupled with numerous public 3 holidays, only very few people actively participate in recreation, leisure and tourism activities regularly. It is therefore time for people to understand and appreciate the significance and roles that these wholesome activities play in the total development of an individual. If people understand the importance of these leisure activities and get actively involved in them, they will definitely widen their horizon, promote their health, enhance their human relations, improve their general fitness and their abilities to know new places and meet new people, in addition to having enriched, abundant and satisfying lives. Recreation It is a voluntary involvement in leisure activities, free from obligation and for the purpose of pleasure. Recreation is also an amusement of diversion, an activity that refreshes and improves one’s health and spirit by enjoyment and relaxation. It could also be understood as those activities in which a person participates in during hours other than work periods. Recreation is seen and perceived differently by different authorities. To Douglass (1975), recreation is any action that refreshes the mental attitude of an individual. It is also a wholesome activity that is engaged in for pleasure, and therefore, it is play. He further explained that recreation may take different routes, but the results are the same. It revitalizes the spirits, restores a person’s personality, initiative and perspective of life. Magi (1989) explained recreation as related to Seven Terms by the Zulus of South Africa which they perceive as having some authentic Zulu-equivalents, that is, play, rest, past time, entertainment, amusement, relaxation and idleness from work. For Kenyans, according to Burnett (1989), recreation is not only a way to keep mentally or physically in shape, but part of the social ritual that keeps them in touch with their culture. Ogunwuyi (1998) perceives recreation as substitutes for vices and evil pursuit, such as gambling, stealing, alcoholism, backbiting, etc. From these definitions, one can rightly conclude that 4 recreation denotes activities such as music, drama, play, craft and dance, in which a person partakes voluntarily during his/her free time, after hard day’s work. To sum it up, it is necessary to know and understand that any activity that is to be considered recreational must satisfy or meet certain conditions and criteria such as: i.) The activity must be done during leisure. ii.) The activity must be entirely voluntary. iii.) The activity must be consciously undertaken. iv.) The activity should provide for acquisition of knowledge. v.) The activity must be that from which a person gains satisfaction. vi.) The activity should provide for freedom from emotional tension. vii.) The activity should be that which develops character and personality. viii.) The activity should contribute to the development and maintenance of positive health habits. In summary, there are three indicators of a recreational activity. They are satisfaction with leisure time, participation in sports and activities. Together, these indicators show a picture of how people feel about their free time and about what they do in their leisure time. The first indicator measures how people feel about both the quantity and quality of free time available to them. The second indicator measures participation of people in sports and active leisure. The third indicator measures involvement of people in cultural activities. Whether a person resides in a village or city, whether in a better residential area or a slum, wherever one finds himself in, there are always recreational activities he can engage himself in. They could be modern or traditional activities (see plate 2) and he can always find companion to play and have fun with. 5 Recreation therefore, is the choice of activity or involvement in any activity, which is voluntary, free from compulsion or obligations. It is the act which is prompted by an intrinsic (internal) motivation and the desire to achieve personal satisfaction, rather than by extrinsic motives or rewards. It is widely regarded as activity that includes physical, mental, social, emotional involvement and psychological satisfaction, as contrasted with sheer idleness, complete rest, sleeping or just sitting down thinking. All these cannot in anyway be regarded as recreation. Plate 2: Traditional Recreation Kinds of Recreation There are different kinds of recreation that exist and are functional in every community in Nigeria. Some people may not know the presence of these recreation and leisure activities, when in reality they exist at their very doorsteps. Some of them are as follows: 6 i. School Recreation: These are mainly for students and children in the school set up, while the adults from the community can enjoy the activities available. For example, they can be observed in playgrounds, libraries, gymnasia, etc. These kinds of recreation are usually sponsored by the school authorities. ii. Community Recreation: These are usually for villages, cities and towns and mostly organized by a committee, sponsored by the members of the village or town. It is usually open to everyone around, without necessarily paying any fees. For example: festivals, cultural displays, ceremonies, exhibition, etc, are such activities. iii. Industrial Recreation: Companies, industries or private organizations usually sponsor these, mainly activities which are their employees and they are not open to everybody. The financing is usually by the company or organization, due to the realization of the values of keeping their workers re-creative, in order for them to be healthy, happy and productive. For example, staff clubs,