Abstract
The aim of this paper is to examine the correlation between the Orpheus Myth and Atogun’s novel Taduno’s song through the lense of mythopoetics. It also aims at analysing the manner in which the eponymous hero fights against political corruption in particular in Nigeria. The study is important because it enables us discover the ways in which Atogun adapts the Orpheus myth and marries it to his own strategy of fighting corruption so as to address the contemporary political situation in his country, Nigeria. The primary data for this paper is the novel Taduno’s song and the Orpheus myth. Secondary data in the form of works and papers on myth and mythmaking as well as on political corruption have been reviewed and used to support arguments in this paper. A close reading method has been used to analyse words, expressions, situations and contexts in the primary sources in terms of themes and style. The secondary sources have mainly been used to adduce evidence in support of arguments in the paper. The study establishes that Atogun adapts the Greek myth to the Nigerian situation in order to bring the contemporary political situation of his country to the fore. This is because the Orpheus myth encapsulates universal themes that allow it to be adapted to the present century. The study also concludes that evidence from the narrative indicates that in addition to stronger institutions, Africa also needs stronger, morally principled, courageous and selfless citizens who can rise against political corruption anywhere it rears its ugly head in the continent.
Highlights
Political corruption, referred to as “the abuse of public office for private gain” (Stockemer et al, 2011, p. 75) has received a lot of attention from academic research
The aim of this paper is to examine the correlation between the Orpheus Myth and Atogun’s novel Taduno’s song through the lense of mythopoetics
The study is important because it enables us discover the ways in which Atogun adapts the Orpheus myth and marries it to his own strategy of fighting corruption so as to address the contemporary political situation in his country, Nigeria
Summary
Political corruption, referred to as “the abuse of public office for private gain” (Stockemer et al, 2011, p. 75) has received a lot of attention from academic research. Perspectives from literature (Lewis, et al, 2008), sociology, anthropology and culture (Torselo & Venard, 2016; Seleim & Boutis, 2009; Bolden & Kirk, 2009; Shen & Williamson, 2005) as well as research from the development and managerial perspectives (de Graft, 2007; Di John, 2010; Nyberg, 2021; Uhlenbruck et al, 2001) have all been published on corruption Among these different perspectives on political corruption, the one from the literary background is limited while works devoted to corruption in Africa “are short and are published in magazines, whereas long articles are few” In the case where solutions are offered, they usually target “institutional reforms” (Shen & Williamson, 2005, p. 328) as the best solution to the problem
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