Role of western influence in Plays of Wole Soyinka

Abstract

Missionaries major developed works in colonized area were utilized health service, industries and western philosophy in education, they includes their own vernacular of literature in local people for instance Bible translation in local language. They established new schools and church in west Nigeria, they includes religious teaching in syllabus so local Nigerian students learn western religion, which helpful to make more Anglicans, children of Anglicans majority got their education in Christian schools or universities.

Wole Soyinka is well known dramatist of Nigeria, he has heredity of Yoruba culture, except his formal education leads him to contact with European world. He completed his education in Christian missionary school so he learns Christian religion from childhood days.  His parent was converted Christian so he brought up under the influence of both the cultures, his Yoruba traditional culture and Christianity; he has immense attachment to Yoruba culture yet some his works have contexts from Bible or Christianity for instance in woks like Jero’s Metamorphosis, The Trial of Brother Jero, Madmen and Specialists, Death and the King’s Horseman, The Lion and the Jewel, The Road and The Strong Breed. In which he uses more or less elements from western.  

The paper majorly focuses on Influence of Christianity in dramas of Wole Soyinka.