FACET AND IMPORTS OF ORATURE IN FRANCIS IMBUGA’S DRAMA: A STUDY OF AMINATA, THE BURNING OF RAGS AND THE RETURN OF MGOFU

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to interrogate the link between orature and contemporary African drama. It seeks to demonstrate that orature is still relevant and able to adapt to forms of contemporary verbal expression, particularly African drama. The paper investigates how, why and with what effect aspects of orature have been incorporated in drama. Francis Imbuga’s Three (3) plays: Aminata (º544), The Burning of Rags (º545) and The Return of Mgofu (2011) have been studied in this regard. Orature texts have been identified and discussed in terms of context, technique and significance. Ways in which these orature forms adapt to new modes of thought through contemporary African drama have been examined. This study was necessitated by the need to investigate and validate the assumption that Imbuga’s drama borrows from certain genres of orature. The Stylistics approach obtaining from the Formalism theory guides this study.