An Examination of the Festival Motif in Femi Osofisan's Morountodun

Abstract

This article examines the African traditional theatre which is interwoven into the daily life of the African. It affirms that festival theatre flourished in Africa in the distant past and has become the bedrock of modern theatrical productions on the African continent. The opulent and robust performance ethos of traditional theatre has continued to provide resources for contemporary African dramatists. It is in this context that we closely look at how Femi Osofisan assertively leans on the aesthetic apparatus of the African traditional theatre to create Morountodun. In Morountodun, the rich elements of the traditional theatre are used as motif(s) to create a vintage and delightful play, which is very aesthetic and scintillating, yet possesses a strong and radical socialist message.

Keywords: Festival motif, Morountodun, Dance, Music, Traditional theatre, Femi Osofisan