Proverbs, Power and Politics: A Linguistic Analysis of Osofisan’s Yungba-Yungba and the Dance Contest

Abstract

African writers represent and reflect their cultural and sociolinguistic realities in their writings in spite of the necessity of acceding to the globalising and hegemonic dictates of English. This linguistic hybridisation is asserted through the use of indigenous linguistic practices. This article studies the use of proverbs and its relationship with power and politics in Femi Osofisan's (2012) play Yungba-Yungba and the Dance Contest. While the proverbs, as is customary in Yoruba society, function as conversational lubricants, they reveal diverse pragmatic implications. I identify the nexus of power and politics in proverbs with the contextual functions of mediation, provocation and admonition/caution. Ideologically, the proverbs contribute to the thematic preoccupation of political awakening and document the Yoruba ethos and mores, particularly in the face of language endangerment. More importantly, they assist in indexing a global issue: the recurrent conflict between progressive forces and oppressive regimes.