The Quest for Cultural Renaissance in Wole Soyinka’s <i>Childe Internationale and Alápatá Àpáta</i>

Abstract

Critics of Wole Soyinka’s works have always identified the cultural impulses of his Yoruba origin in his dramaturgy. This engagement can be segmented into slants that seek a renaissance of his culture through his use of its tropes to intervene in the social malaises mirrored in his works and through a commitment that seeks the survival of his culture in the postcolonial milieus. This paper focuses on Soyinka’s engagement with the subject of cultural renaissance through a postcolonial reading of Childe Internationale and Alápatá Àpáta. While underscoring Soyinka’s commitment to the survival of his culture in the hybridised contexts presented in the plays, the paper points out that Soyinka’s dominant discussions on cultural renaissance have been primarily associated with his ‘Children plays’. The paper exhibits some of the critical aspects of culture that the playwright has isolated to validate his quest for a cultural renaissance. The paper’s conclusion gives accreditation to the playwright’s concerns about the dwindling fortunes of his Yoruba culture and language but doubts if there is any remedy in sight on account of some other overwhelming adverse social conditions in the plays.