A study of the elements of orality and performance in selected poems from Niyi Osundare’s the eye of the earth and songs of the marketplace

Abstract

This thesis examines the elements of orality and performance in modern African poetry, particularly Osundare’s selected poems. The aim is to observe how Osundare uses the elements of orality in selected poems in The Eye of the Earth and Songs of the Marketplace volumes to present the African human experience. The theoretical framework for this research is the formalistic approach. The analysis is based on ten selected poems each from Osundare’s The Eye of the Earth and Songs of the Marketplace volumes and the elements of orality and performance explored. The study reveals that the poet combines orality with performance. The elements of orality covered in both volumes are proverbs, riddles, Oriki (Yoruba panegyric), local names, music and dance, repetitions and refrains and the personal pronouns that signal dialogue; the curse prayers; Babalawo- the traditional priests; the pantheon of gods; dirge and incantations among others. However, in The Eye of the Earth, the elements of performance are explicit - the poet suggests that various kinds of musical instruments be employed and the volume is also about the non - human nature. In Songs of the Marketplace, performance is implicit - deductions are made from the combination of word structure. Songs of the Marketplace is about people - the human nature. The study is therefore relevant for pedagogy, in the teaching and learning of literature and in the area of academia, for the analysis of orality and performance in African literature.