Cultural Identity and Literature: A Study of Okot p’Bitek’s

Abstract

Written at the time when many newly independent African countries were struggling to assert their autonomy from former European colonial powers such as France, Britain, and Spain, Okot p’Bitek’s Song of Lawino appeared to have encouraged the idea of independence, especially its literary freedom from Europe. Informed by the assumption of Chinweizu et al. that traditional African poetry and its criticism have been little studied and granted that eurocentric critics of African literature often seek Western parallels in this literature, it follows that its fair appreciation must be guided by an awareness of the history and culture behind its creation. This investigation is an attempt to show that the Song of Lawino is written against the backdrop of Acholi history, language, and cultural practices. Lawino comes down to us as an advocate of African cultural values, insisting that these need not emulate European standards in order to be recognized.