Design in Àwòrán Òwe: An Enhanced Artistic Engagement for Young Audience on Social Media

Innovations in the digital field have transformed the educational field, especially among children whose learning habits are becoming affected by social networking sites like Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp. In this regard, the issue of conservation of indigenous knowledge has taken center stage with the current culture of transmission of knowledge through traditional means being eroded by the new generation. In this paper, I introduce Àwòrán Òwe (Proverbs in Pictures) a current research and creative experiment aimed at teaching children Yoruba proverbs using visual design, illustration and animation. The project lies at the crossroads of cultural preservation, education, and digital experimentation since it turns the traditional proverbs into visual stories that attract the interests of a young audience worldwide. The paper has cited the Multimedia Learning Theory by Richard Mayer to explain the importance of incorporating elements of visual images like bright colours, fun graphics, simplicity and harmony in promoting understanding, memory and culture in children. The methodology is the process of adopting the chosen Yoruba proverbs into the short-animated episodes with the contextual translation into English and spreading them over social media platforms that people could easily access. The method does not only encourage intergenerational communication but also allows language competence, reinforces cultural identity, and instills moral lessons within the Yoruba traditions. The results support the significance of design in the process of making indigenous knowledge more attractive to children in the era of digital entertainment. Through safeguarding the integrity of Yoruba proverbs and modifying them to fit into the modern consumption, Àwòrán Òwe is able to exhibit the possibility of social media as a mode of cultural learning. Finally, the research suggests design-based approaches to connect the traditional knowledge with contemporary education in the globalized society.