Demoke's Totem: The Role of the Artist in Soyinka's A Dance of the Forest

Abstract

Drawing upon Wole Soyinka's A Dance of the Forest, the paper explores the playwright's attitude to Africa's socio-political experiences in the period just after independence. More especially, it uses the concept of totemism to examine the role of the artist in a modern African state. Though the playwright is filled with pessimism about the future of the continent, even as he tries to debunk the 'myth' about Africa's glorious past, he does not leave society without any hope. This hope is borne by the artist, represented by Demoke, who symbolizes freedom and reconciliation of conflicting forces in society. Thus the paper depicts Soyinka as overturning his own pessimism at the end of the play.


(The Journal of Cultural Studies: 2001 3(1): 259-276)