Art as Medicine for Children with Disabilities in Nigeria (Paperback)

“Art as Medicine for Children with Disabilities in Nigeria” is a groundbreaking paperback that delves into the profound impact of creative arts as natural health therapies. Author Kent Onah reveals the pivotal importance of artistic expression as a valuable tool for healing, transcending its traditional aesthetic roles.

This insightful book builds awareness around the significant positive impact of engaging in creative arts processes on the health outcomes of children with disabilities. It meticulously explores the relationship between disability in children, creative arts programs, and therapeutic interventions, demonstrating how art therapy can effectively aid children in healing, adjusting, adapting, and achieving greater integration into society. The author also investigates the reception and acceptance of creative arts as a powerful means of support for children with disabilities within the Nigerian context.

Kent Onah challenges the common misconception that creative arts lack a connection to health, healing, or the overall well-being of children with disabilities in Nigeria. He carefully identifies various common disabilities among Nigerian children, discussing their origins, types, and nature. Furthermore, he provides practical suggestions for different creative therapeutic processes tailored to each specific disability, powerfully demonstrating that indeed, artists are healers, and Art is Medicine.

About The Author: Kent Onah is a distinguished Nigerian artist, a senior lecturer, and the immediate past Head of the Painting Department at the School of Art and Industrial Design, Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, where he has taught art since 1991. A prolific, versatile, and multimedia artist, Kent is deeply versed in both art education and studio art practice. With an active studio art career since 1988, he has extensively exhibited his paintings and mixed media works both within Nigeria and internationally, with his art collected across Nigeria, Africa, the U.S.A., and Europe. His work is driven by a profound passion for exploring the therapeutic dimensions of art.

Product Details:

• Book Title: Art as Medicine for Children with Disabilities in Nigeria
• Format: Paperback
• Publisher: Ofure (Pax) Integral and Development Initiative (OFIRDI), 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-978-563-188-3