Graffiti and Architecture: A Case Study of Kenneth Dike Library, University of Ibadan

In 2007, graffiti totaling 1058 were copied off the walls of Kenneth Dike Library, University of Ibadan. The graffiti were grouped and analysed to determine what this researcher calls the ‘mind of society'. The same exercise was done 10 years later in 2017, and results of the comparison are presented in this essay. The results show that there was a significant decline in the number of graffiti found on the walls of the library in 2017 and while the general distribution of the content remained the same, there appeared to be a noticeable drop in sexual and obscene comments. This trend is rather inconsistent with studies of the same nature in other climes. This deviation may be linked to behavioural adjustments of graffiti authors who now use online platforms as their primary choice for expression. More importantly, the study finds that the significant decline in the number of graffiti on the walls of the library doesn't necessarily suggest that the act of graffiti writing in dwindling, instead, it confirms that the culture of the use of physical libraries is endangered. This phenomenon therefore raises another issue – the dwindling relevance of architecture as a platform for intuitive expressions. Should architects, social scientists and environmental scientists be concerned?