Aesthetic Analysis of Folklore in Emmanuel Asika's Erimma

Abstract

Folklore or oral tradition is found to be a favourite indigenous resource for African playwrights and they draw on it to enable them mold the aesthetic concerns in drama/play writing. Considerable critical interest has grown around analyzing the nuances of folklore, society and drama in the context of Africa. Critics like Obiechina confirm that folklore has survived in Africa in spite of the introduction of ‘writing’ as a phenomenon and the foreign tradition which it bears. In Africa (like other parts of the continent), elements of folklore such as folktales, proverbs, dance, song, rituals, and ceremonies provide a medium for experiencing reality. It has been observed that most reputable African literary writers adapt their folklore in their written plays. Some critics have studied a number of such writers and established theories after them. This study was undertaken to specifically review the extent of the adaptation of folklore in Emmanuel Asika’s Erimma as a modern African play. It discussed the adaptation and usefulness of various aspects of folklore in the aforementioned literary masterpiece. The research analysis was based on the theory of aestheticism.   

Keywords: Culture, Folksong, Folktales, Story-Telling and Libation.