Abstract

The YoruÌ€bá theatre practitioners employed the print media – tagged photoplay magazine – as production medium for several of its plays during the second half of the twentieth century. The first and foremost publication in the photoplay genre was named Atọ́ka. A unique outlet of dramatic expression by the YoruÌ€bá theatre companies from 1967 – 1991. However,  Atọ́ka has received little attention from researchers. The theory of Total Quality Management (TQM) was employed for the study. The objective of this study is to document Atọ́ka’s production techniques and put its contributions to the development of YoruÌ€bá entertainment industry on record. The primary data consisted of 108 editions (25%) randomly selected from a total of 430 editions published. In-depth interviews were conducted with all the five editors and one former photographer of Atọ́ka. Findings showed that Atọ́ka was a fusion of dramatic arts, photographic arts and publishing arts. Its complex and sophisticated production was also a melting pot of different specialisations and disciplines. Atọ́ka had an electrifying impact on its teeming readers across Nigeria and beyond. This paper is broadly discussed under: introduction, concept of TQM, origination and design, editorial and editing, printing, discussion of findings, and conclusion.

Key Words: Photoplay Magazine, Atọ́ka, Editor (Olótùú), Production, Yorùbá.

*    Clement Adeniyi Akangbe, Ph. D., is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

© ^AMCRON Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 11, No. 1, April 2019, pp. 194 – 206