ABSTRACT
The contemporary African Literature is believed to be a revolutionary literature that looks critical into contemporary social situations with a view of amending the wrongs therein. However, no writer writes in a vacuum but within the scope of human experiences, happening around him, and particularly the experiences he met on ground in his society. This is the Orature of his society.
The tool adopted for this research was the sociological theory, this is because it encompasses the way of life and experiences of people in a given society. The research made use of the stratified sampling method, where relevant texts were applied to the theory for analysis.
A number of discoveries were made in this research first, there would be no written literature without orature. It was also discovered that there are no people, society or race without their inherent Oral traditions that distinguishes them.
Consequently, agreeable conclusions were drawn on the relationship between Orature and the Modern African Literature. We were able to view Orature as the founder of Modern African Literature.
In conclusion, the undeniable link between Orature and the Written Literature.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgment iv
Abstract v
Table of contents vi-vii
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction 1
Purpose of the Study 2
Justification 3
Scope of the Study 3
Methodology 4
CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review 6
Orature 6
Element in Oral Literature
The Concept of Orature in a Sociological Context 14
Background Information on Wole Soyinka’s 18
Modern African Literature 18
The Sociological school of Literature 21
CHAPTER THREE
Orature in Soyinka’s “The Beatification of Area Boy” 24
Some songs which portray the Rich African Culture 24
Superstitious Beliefs Among Africans. 29
African Ceremonies 33
Dramatic Elements in “The Beatification of Area Boy” 34
CHAPTER FOUR
Summary 41
Findings 41
Conclusion 42
Bibliography 43
INTRODUCTION
Modern African Literature is believed by some critics to be a transition form spoken words to the written form of it, especially in relation to the expression of African beliefs and world view. Thus, except for the language issue which alienates Modern African Literature from its root, the experiences expressed therein remain essentially African. To ensure the maintenance of African identity However, deliberate efforts are made by writers to reach the grassroots by switching over to vernacular as a more towards revolutionizing the contemporary African Literature, while some only limit their zeal to a full exploration of African values.
Furthermore, no definition of written literature can be said to be complete without a prior reference to its origin in whatever setting, be it, African or European. The literature of a set of people does not emerge from a vacuum. It is the fundamentals of a set of people that make up their written literature, whether these fundamentals are written or unwritten. Therefore, it is erroneous to stress the written aspect of literature alone and ignore the oral aspect. Whatever becomes written has been in existence in the unwritten form. The general consensus is that, written literature borrows some features form unwritten literature in terms of content and even style.
It is this situation, that is the deployment of oral forms in the writing of Modern African writers that have become of interest to this writer. hence, in this project, we intend to study the features of oral literature that may be present in Wole Soyinka’s “The Beatification of Area Boy”.
