Myth, History and the Revolutionary Ethos in Morountodun by Femi Osofisan

Abstract

This paper emphasis on Osofisan’s myth which is on situations in oral performance and it helps to select episodes from the life of Moremi to coincide with that of Titubi, while emphasis on both heroines as characters in a drama helps to keep the story line clear to the audience. The thrust of this paper is to select areas of the myth that are amenable to Osofisan’s ideological mode of thought. Paradoxically, the use of this myth on stage lends physical body to an imaginary figure. It is on the moves of the story in a flux of fact, fiction, legend and myth, all arranged to allow the audience a critical, yet entertaining perspective. The playwright selects aspects of myth and history that are deemed relevant to the social and economic issues being discussed in the play. The paper identifies corruption, poverty and social inequality as the recurring problem of Africa in postcolonial era in this play. It adopts revolutionary ethos which links genuine social-political freedom to the collective actions of the people. He prefers as heroes, the ordinary people whose labour sustains society and a few people from the privileged class like Titubi, who commit class suicide and join the struggle of the common people in their agitation for self-determination. To Osofisan, societal and individual freedom is only possible through collective actions.

Keywords: Oral performance, Myth, Postcolonial, Revolution and Self-determination