Hello! Friends you will here find my presentation on 'African Literature'.

2. Prepared By: Jayati Thakar
Roll no. 30
Part 2
Semester 4
Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of
English
M. K. Bhavnagar University
Gujarat
India

4. Mythical Connection in
Soyinka’s ‘The Swamp Dwellers’
Connection of African
Yoruba Myths

5. Intro of an author
• Wole Soyinka born on 13
July 1934) is a Nigerian
playwright and poet. He
was awarded the
1986 Nobel Prize in
Literature, the first African
to be honoured in that
category.
• He wrote plays, produced it
and also worked as an
actor.
• And also remain political
activist.

6. What is ‘Myth’
“A story that was told in an ancient culture to
explain a practice, belief, or natural
occurrence.” – Merriam Webster
• But the belief only, not the truth.
• "myth is a necessary way of transcending
reality"

7. Nigerian Yoruba Myth
• Represents the Yoruba culture.
• Yoruba culture separates the cosmos into the
human world and the world of the deities.
• Soyinka's messiahs fail as revolutionaries or as
heroes who can lead their people out of
chaos. In this regard, Soyinka has effectively
interpreted the tragic reality of our
contemporary world.

8. Text stands on the pillar of the myths
Yoruba
Myths
Yoruba/
Ibeji
Ogun
Sango
Obatala

9. Mythical Gods or Heroes

10. Myth of Ibeji/ Yoruba

11. • Goddess Eden and her twin sons.
• One dies and calls another one.
• Alu and her twins son.
• Awuchike
• Igwezu
• Awuchike went to city and never
come back (symbolic death)
• Alu is strong and perfect woman in
the play as his husband Makuri used
to say to her-
“There wasn't a woman anywhere
more faithful than you, Alu; I never
had a moment of worry in the whole
of my life”
• To give birth to twins is well-known
for fertility of a woman. And she
considers most respectful woman.

12. Myth of Ogun

13. • God of Iron
• Holds Blade in his hand.
• Helped by his friend Obatala
to explore land.
• Igwezu stands as Ogun
• He is barber and also having
blade.
• Helped by the bagger to
work for his land- swamp.

14. Myth of Sango

15. • God of lightening.
• Was abandoned by his
own people, denounced
by the chiefs.
• He fled to the country
was abandoned by his
wife, left alone with one
loyal slave.
• Committed suicide.

16. • In the text Igwezu’s character is compared
with sango.
• He too betrayed by his brother and his wife.
• Also abandoned by his father Makuri and
swamp dwellers
• in the end he has left the story, it is believed
that he has lost his courage and commit
suicide. He told Beggar that –
“the swallows find their nest again when the
cold in over”
• Shows his utter failure.

17. Myth of Obatala

18. • Creator of the universe and
humankind
• The myth offers an explanation for
humanity’s imperfection.
• Deformity in creation- Obatala
becomes drunken while was
creating humanity.
• The beggar stands for Obatala
• Wears white robes
• Blind too
• Wants to help Igwezu to reform the
swamp.

20. Work Sited
• <http://bhattlajja031314.blogspot.in/2015/03/us
e-of-myths-in-swamp-dwellers-of-myths.html >.
• <https://sites.google.com/a/asu.edu/mythology-
of-africa/the-creation-of-the-universe-and-ife>.
• <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wole_Soyinka>.
• jadeja, Poojaba. "Use of African Myths in
Soyinka's 'The Swamp Dwellers'."

21. • Submitted To:
• Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of
English
• M. K. Bhavnagar University
• Gujarat
• India