VEJOH - VERITAS JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES

Nigerian music scholarship has continued to debate decolonisation, yet there has been little empirical evidence showing how scholars and practitioners engage indigenous epistemologies or how these engagements justify the institutionalisation of Artistic Research. This study, therefore, investigated how experienced Nigerian composers, performers, scholars, and scholar-practitioners drew on indigenous musical knowledge and how these practices supported a shift toward practice-led inquiry in universities. A qualitatively driven mixed-methods design was used, drawing on a national survey of 41 participants from universities across Nigeria and analysing descriptive statistics alongside thematic patterns. The findings showed that over 80% of respondents relied on tonal language, polyrhythm, call-and-response, storytelling, and communal performance as core creative resources, and identified indigenous knowledge as moral, historical, spiritual, and communal in character. Seventy-six percent viewed Artistic Research as a highly effective means of challenging Eurocentrism and strengthening epistemic agency. The study contributes empirical evidence to ongoing decolonial debates and demonstrates that Nigerian universities must formally adopt and operationalise Artistic Research to advance curriculum reform and embed culturally grounded pedagogies in music scholarship.

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