A literary analysis of Yoruba-Ifá oral poetry and its implication for entertainment and cultural education in Nigeria

Abstract

The article examines the potentials of Yoruba Ifá oral literature for entertainment and education, with an emphasis on the ways in which the desire for entertainment in narrative poetry can precede educational requirements. The study observes that Ifá narrative is an integral part of the complete Ifá divination process usually packaged in parable format. The inexhaustible nature of its source is affirmed by related studies done by Yoruba language and literature scholars. It is also observed that every attempt at translating any language to another often results in obliterating the imagery of the one being translated in the new presentation; hence, the study adopts the term transliteration. The literary stylistic devices employed in Ifá narratives are discussed; for easy reference, the study classifies the content of Ifá narratives into three principal genres; poetry, drama and music. This discourse is tailored to further appraise specific issues concerning the measurement and scoring Yoruba Ifá poetry using global parameters. The performance essence, as in dramaturgy, of the poetry is reserved for further investigation. Examples of Ese Ifá (Ifá verses) are subjected to repetition, parallelism and tonal counterpoint. The study affirms the applicability of Ifá oral literature to cartoon animation movies geared towards effective indigenization of the Yoruba child as a paradigm of the African child. The structure of the study is woven around folkism theory. The treatment adopts textual analysis in aesthetic evaluative style.