“They are poor and violent”: stereotype and the Ibadan urban motor park space

In this work, we are interested in finding out how, and why, the interplay of poverty and violence, the park stereotypes, has problematised the motor park space, and consequently the culture that evolved from the space. Of great concern to us are the origin and theoperation of the park; the existence of these stereotypes, how, if ever, they relate and the implication of the interplay on the organization, operation and representation of the space vis a vis its relationship with the general public and governance in Oyo State. Using Victor Turner’s social drama, we hope to provide explanations for ruptured social relations on the park and why the public is so imbued with the stereotypes that they have refused to appreciate the internal mechanism to redress the ‘constant’ conflicts.