AFRICANISM AND TRADITIONALISM IN CLEMENT ODIA'S VENOM

SUMMARY

This study has explored Africanism and traditionalism in the African society and reveal the style of songs, chants and Proverbs that is very common with African dramaturgy. This study also examine the features of Africanism as explored in the texts which are the sacredness of the way people live in the community. Some of these features of Africanism are morality, spirituality, the sacredness of life, reward and punishment, the need for truth obedience and communal living. Africanism also value the action of an individual and sees it as having an implication on the group as a whole. All of these are shown in the text. This work becomes instrumental in addressing some salient issues in the African society currently where there is an erosion of values and a breakdown of morality. The texts are instructive as they reiterate the need for Africans to stick to the values of morality that they hold so dear. The need for the sense of the sacred that has been lost to ages of colonialism and the advent of civilization is necessary and integral to a better society. The loss of the sense of the sacred has a big effect in the current African society as crime is at an all time high and people have lost the consciousness of punishment for evil done and reward for good. From the texts, it is glaring that Africans believe that there is an implication for any action whether or not people see you or you are caught. The sense of the sacred and the understanding of the intercourse between the terrestrial and extraterrestrial always put people in check in their actions. This is almost non existent in contemporary African society.