Tackling topical issues and supporting young people through bibliotherapy — how videos help to communicate with learners in Kwara State, Nigeria

Dr Sola Owolabi is an academic and librarian at Landmark University, Omu-Aran, in Kwara State, Nigeria. He teaches courses in information studies and mass communication.

Dr Owolabi creates videos and multimedia packages to teach his courses and regularly develops videos for social re-orientation and awareness, for students in his university community and beyond. The videos cover campaigns on topical issues such as religious and tribal intolerance, violence, Covid-19 and sex education, as well as readership campaigns and library user education. Dr Owolabi also produces book reviews and runs bibliotherapy sessions within his university. He has developed bibliotherapy training packs for organisations that work with youth, and for mental health programmes.

He uses his mobile phone for recording and processes the videos, using software like Vimeo and FreeCam. At the moment, his cast is drawn from interested individuals around him, but he is looking to create bigger productions and hopes to attract more experienced artists.

His videos are accessible on his YouTube Channel “Cinematherapy with Sola Owolabi” and also on Facebook. Beyond providing content for educating the general public, he also assigns his mass communication students to carry out critical appraisals of his productions as part of their coursework.

For Dr Owolabi, innovation involves applying new approaches to communicate with learners. He uses drama, poems and video technology to bring into focus issues that might have appeared mundane.

Once completed the videos are shared openly on popular social media platforms such as Tiktok, YouTube and Facebook.

Some people have questioned how effective his video content can be for teaching and learning and suggest it is a waste of time. But Dr Owolabi is motivated by the ability to use acting, music and drama to create engaging content. He is also encouraged by the fact that the Internet allows him to make his content open and accessible.

A good power supply and internet access, and access to university studio has enabled him to produce his videos with fewer distractions, and the university also made a camera available to him. Nevertheless, creating videos without access to funding, and without charging for his content, has been a challenge. Premium software for creating video content is expensive to subscribe to and professional actors would need to be paid.

He says his work has brought him some recognition, as he is now his university’s orator and even engages in bibliotherapy sessions with students, for which the university has provided some resources. In addition he has personally acquired relevant books to support his work.

Dr Owolabi has ambitions to create bigger productions, but explains that such projects would need much more investment, and projects such as his will need to be funded if they are to become sustainable. But he urges academics not to be afraid to start small and to learn as they go, making use of the tools available to them. Making the content open is important too , he believes, as it provides an opportunity to create impact even beyond their immediate communities.

Interview conducted by Oluchi Okere, Federal University of Technology, Akure.