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Tydskrif vir Letterkunde

versão On-line ISSN 2309-9070
versão impressa ISSN 0041-476X

Tydskr. letterkd. vol.60 no.3 Pretoria  2023

http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/tl.v60i3.14418 

RESEARCH ARTICLES

 

Orality in Yoruba films: A study of selected films of Akinwumi Isola

 

 

Abidemi Olusola Bolarinwa

Senior lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. Email: aobalarinwa@yahoo.com; https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2718-3870

 

 


ABSTRACT

Despite technological innovations, orality still forms one of the aesthetic elements in the new media such as home video films as a result of the unending interface between orality and the literacy tradition. Using intertextuality as an approach, in this article I examine orality in selected films of Akinwumi Jsola, with a view to showing how he uses verbal arts as a powerful tool for the transmission of cultural values. The selected films are Saworoide (1999), Agogo Eewo (2002) and.Efunsetan Aniwura (2005). The films were selected based on their preponderant featuring of oral narratives. My findings reveal that folktales, legends, songs, Ifa corpus, drumbeats, incantations, and panegyric are the Yoruba oral genres that Akinwumi Jsola incorporates into his films. One can infer from Jsola's films that there is an overlap between his oral culture and his creative work because culture is the active force that energises and drives the creative work. I conclude that Jsola uses his creative ingenuity to re-awake and preserve Yoruba oral tradition in his films, which points to the fact that oral literature has a continued vitality for contemporary society.

Keywords: oral culture, preservation, intertextuality, Akinwumi Jsola, film.


 

 

Introduction

In this article, I analyse the films Saworoide (1999), Agogo Eewo (2002) and Efunsetan Aniwura (2005) (directed by Tunde Kelani) by the Nigerian scriptwriter Akinwumi Isola, with a specific focus on the oral genres he utilises in these films, which I approach as a form of intertextuality. I argue that he uses verbal arts as a powerful tool for the transmission of cultural values in his films. Firstly, I explain what I mean by cultural values and intertextuality before providing a brief overview of existing studies on Yoruba films. Then I proceed to analyse the ways in which various oral genres are utilised in the three films.

 

Terminology and relevant existing research

Film falls under the intangible aspect of human culture; it is an integral part of the expressive arts which comprise the literary arts, the plastic arts, and the music arts, hence it is taken as the set of traditions from which a person draws his or her sense of identity (Irele; Adeleke, "Culture, Art and Film in an African Society: An Evaluation"). From the foregoing, it can be observed that film as a cultural artifact reflects or shares the common meanings and values of a particular culture during a particular time. Therefore, more than any other entertainment form, films reflect the cultural and social experiences, and convey core cultural values of a society. Filmmakers write their stories from the common pool of the society where they belong. Different societies have several cultural practices which are mirrored/showcased to the world though films (Ekwuazi; Ogunleye).

According to Johnson (99), "Film is the most effective medium for promotion, propagation and preservation of culture. Many cultures of the world have used its potential to their advantage". Adesanya asserts that the British, American, Chinese, and Indian cultures have influenced some Nigerians and people of other countries who enjoy watching their films. Also, the cultures and verbal arts of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria- that is, Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo-have been communicated to the world through Nigerian films.

According to Durey (616), intertextuality is a coinage used by Julia Kristeva to discuss Mikhail Bhakti's texts as the interplay of writers, texts, and other texts. Abrams and Harpham (364) use intertextuality to signify the multiple ways in which any one literary text in fact consists of other texts, by means of its open or covert citations and allusions, its repetitions, and transformations of the formal and substantive features of earlier texts. This reveals the relationship between a writer, his works, and the influence of other works or texts on his style or content of his work. Shakib (123) defines intertextuality as the literal and effective presence in a text of another text. Allen opines that: "Text is a permutation of texts, an intertextuality in the space of a given text, in which several utterances, taken from other texts, intersect and neutralize one another" (35).

Yamasaki (2) asserts that the core idea of the theory is that texts, such as plays, novels, and films are always related to other texts in a way that produces multiple meanings. Bazin(qtd in Barthes), while discussing the issue of intertextuality in film, enunciates that there is no doubt that all films were, in principle, works of authors who at a certain time and with certain technical and aesthetic means had managed to create certain distinctive cinematic artwork (Barthes). Drama and fictional texts such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God, Efunsetan Aniwura, and Lisabi Agongbo Akala-to mention but a few-have been adapted into films.

Adaptation, according to Hutcheon (6), is a form of intertextuality experienced differently by each reader. There are multiple sources available to scriptwriters; they may create an entirely new work from history, myth, pure fiction, or from his society; they may also decide to translate or adapt existing work which involves/requires modification, alteration, and recreation. The implication of this is that the scriptwriter is re-presenting the existing work in another form that will be most acceptable and accessible.

Hyginus Ekwuazi's work centres on the emergence of films in Nigeria and provides information on the film concept and reality in Nigeria. Manthia Diawara dwells on popular culture and oral tradition in African films. He affirms that African film makers have deviated from foreign film culture by making use of cultural elements within their culture. Onyero Mgbejume focuses on the historical development of Nigerian films with its associated problems. He concludes that, if the stakeholders could play the game according to the rules, the film industry in Nigeria would thrive. Olagoke Alamu ("Trends in the Development of Yoruba Film: The First Decade (1976-1986)") focuses on trends in the development of the Yoruba film within the first ten years of its existence between 1976 and 1986, and discusses extensively the historical, development, and classification of Yoruba films, and also examines the aesthetics of the Yoruba video films ("Documenting the Yoruba Traditional Religious Festival for Posterity; Issues and Challenges"). Adeleke ("Audience Reception of Yoruba Films: Ibadan as a Case Study") carries out an analytical study of audience reception of Yoruba films in cinema houses. He submits that psychological and sociological factors affect the attitude of audiences of Yoruba films. Joseph Dairo looks at the Yoruba beliefs in predestination "omi ipin" (water of destiny) where he uses a Yoruba film drama, a weekly television broadcast which exploits the theme of predestination as a case study. Adekunle Yusuf focuses on Adebayo Faleti on screen by exploring the different stages of Faleti's art from stage to television productions, and the era of home video films. He eulogises Faleti as a dramatist, novelist, and poet.

Akintunde Akiny.emi discusses oral literature, aesthetic transfer, and social vision in two Yoruba video films. He centres the article on the playwright's use of elements of oral literature in depicting the socio-political realities of contemporary Nigerian society. Sesan examines African aesthetics in two Yoruba language video films. He investigates the origin of aesthetics from the ancient (classical) period to the contemporary period and examines the use and effect of aesthetics in the selected films. Ureke and Tomaselli's work focuses on the transformation of African cinema to film services. The duo explore how African cinema can be examined in terms of a film services framework which includes both industrial criteria and ideological shifts as a way of deepening screen media studies in search for a more holistic value chain framework. In my 2019 article, I study the recreation of oral poetic genres in selected Yoruba home-video films. I conclude that, with the filmmakers' recreation of the Yoruba oral poetic genre in their films, they have been able to initiate continuity and change in the use of the Yoruba oral poetic genre.

 

Orality in three films of Akinwumi Isola

This section has been organised according to genre. I indicate in which ways Isola has incorporated the following oral genres: folktales, legends, songs, Ifa corpus, drumbeats, incantations, and panegyric.

Folktales

Yoruba people educate and entertain themselves though folktales and folktales represent the Yoruba philosophical way of thinking and serves as a vehicle of self-expression (Taiwo 38). Folktales are also deep in ideas, rich in expression, and enthralling to hear. The cultural content and the inclusion of songs and wise sayings in folktales make them entertaining and informative. Among the Yoruba people, folktales serve as cultural identity. It is a veritable tool for cultural transmission, character development, and historical education. Majasan (41) asserts that folktales are one of the most appropriate instruments of educating and acculturating the youth. Aligning with the position of Majasan, Awoniyi avers: "Stories, songs, myth and dancing were combined to stimulate the children's emotions, quicken their perceptions, and guide them as they explored, exploited and interpreted their environment. The objective of education was to make an individual an Omoluabi, to develop his personality and character and weave him (or her) harmoniously into the social fabric" (63).

Folktales cover a wide range of areas but the common types of folktales include fairy tales, fables, trickster tales, and why stories. They can reflect cultural, historical, geographical, mathematical, and political content and Yoruba folktales are heavily influenced by the people's worldview and traditions. Instances of folktales occur in Isola's films. There is an example from Saworoide in which Adebomi and his wife Adedigba narrate a folktale that has to do with a hunter and his dog to their son. According to them, whenever the hunter found himself in a difficult situation, he would summon his dog to come to his aid. When the dog was stolen, the hunter was devastated. The hunter succeeded in getting his dog back because of the cordial relationship that existed between the two of them. The lesson that can be deduced from the folktale that is embedded in the film is that nobody is an island and that we need one another. What the filmmaker is canvassing for is cordial relationship. Through the folktale, Isola provides an avenue for African children to receive instruction through their mother tongue, thereby learning to love the mental heritage of their people and the natural and necessary expression of their heritage which is the language.

Legends

A legend is a story handed down through generations which is believed to be historical. Olateju (85) opines that legendary tales are about the lineage history of a particular family or personage as told orally by their progenitors, the bards, or as contained in their lineage poetry. The legends once lived many years ago as human beings in the various communities and were deified after death as gods and goddesses as a mark of appreciation for their contribution to the development of their people and community.

Legends are largely extended oral histories of some unusual humans-that is a filius or a filia figure-who are imbued with superhuman, heroic qualities, such as uncommon or unique carriage, courage, and pedigree. Legends are stories of men and women who contributed significantly to advancing the cause of their people. Examples of these legends in Yoruba society are: Basorun Ogunmola of Ibadan, Sod.eke of Egbaland, lyalode Tinuubu of Egbaland, and EfunsetanAniwura the Iyalode of Ibadan land Dasylva (139).

In the film Efunsetan Aniwura, reference is made to the great warriors of Ibadan land. These are Iba Oluyole, Iba Afokoja, Balogun Ibikunle, Basorun Ogunmola, and Aare Latoosa whose heroic deeds were brought to the fore. An example of a legend from the film Efunsetan Aniwura is that of Balogun Ibikunle, a renowned farmer and warrior in Ibadan land. He quickly rose to the rank of Balogun of Ibadan during the reign of Baale Oyesile in 1851. Ibikunle's regime as the generalissimo of Ibadan was characterised by many wars. Ibadan won all the wars with his expertise and he was responsible for the large number of vassal states brought under Ibadan's hegemony. BalogunIbikunle was very tireless in warfare and, as such, fought gallantly throughout the breadth and length of Yorubaland. As a result of his military might and restlessness, he became dreaded and no town wanted his encounter. Ibikunle was therefore likened to a formidable power that shook the whole world of his time. He was, however, given a befitting burial as a legend. As a mark of respect to this great man, a major street in Ibadan, from Mokola roundabout going through his palace to Orita-Merin junction, was named after Ibikunle by the Oyo, state government.

The legend Balogun Ibikunle, as reflected in the film Efunsetan Aniwura, is endowed with supernatural and heroic deeds like courage and unique carriage. He contributed immensely to advancing the cause of his people. Therefore, the story of this legend was used by the scriptwriter as a potent weapon to boost the morale of the society as well as an instrument to safeguard its communal security. It was also used in the film to implant or inculcate sound moral values in the minds of the people. The legacies of oral tradition are therefore documented in motion pictures by the film makers who are believed to be custodians of their societal history.

Songs

In Yoruba tradition, almost no ceremony occurs without a corresponding song attached to it. Different rites of passage are marked with songs and dancing (Adeyemi 58). Singing songs during important ceremonies is a way of life and has become an undying cultural legacy of the people. Adeyemi (58) classifies Yoruba songs into eight categories, namely: ceremonial (orinayeye), religious (orinajemesin), children's (orinomode), war (orinogun), work-reinforcement (orinamuseya), folktale (orinalo), proverbial (orinowe), and invective (orineebu). Euba and Adeola also agree that songs are described by their functions-that is, the singing is described by a function to which it is associated. Specific songs accompany specific occasions and songs are mainly accomplished with some musical instrument such as idiophones, chordophones, membranophones, and airophones.

Songs serve functional purposes. Entertainment comes first among the goals of performance. However, the use of songs for therapeutic, psychological, and emotional wellbeing is exemplified in lullaby, a kind of song used to lull children to sleep (Hamzat 163). It is also effective for the emotional wellbeing between lovers. The use of songs in fanning the ember of discord is also rampant and it can also incite groups and individuals against each other. There is fluidity in song in Yoruba culture, and recitation could also be concluded with song.

Isola used songs extensively in the selected films under study to drive home his points. In Saworoide and Agogo Eewo, he showcases nine proverbial songs, including the following examples from the films:

Won ma le o

Won ma le o

Awonijoyeyii ma le o

Ajantiele (Saworo Ide)

They are terrible

They are terrible

These chiefs are terrible

Ajantiele

E wa waye oselu

Oselu alabosi

Wonkowo ilu sapo

Won fowo muti (Agogo Eewo)

See the lot of the politicians

Our fraudulent politicians

They loot the treasury

They squander the money

The first song from the film Saworo Ide is a protest song by the people of Jogbo town that has been under the servitude and tyrannical reign of the king Onijogbo. They used the song to ridicule the indiscipline king and chiefs of the town; the song is used by the people of the town as a weapon to express their mind so as to curb the excesses and unruly behaviour of their leaders. The second song from the film Agogo Eewo, is sung to expose their fraudulent leaders who squander the money meant for the people. The two songs expose the suppressive and subversive posture of rulers of Jogbo town on those they govern. The songs are therefore employed by the filmmaker as an accompaniment of the element of oral tradition in achieving the theme(s) of these films.

Ifa corpus

Scholars like Abimbola (Ifa: An Exposition of Ifa Literary Corpus), Olatunji, and Olaleye assert that Ifa is one of the most important Yoruba deities. Ifa is believed to have been sent by Olodumare, the Almighty God, to use his profound wisdom to put the earth in order. The belief of the Yoruba concerning the great wisdom of Ifa is manifested in some of the praise names they give to him. Two of such praise names, according to Abimbola (Ifa), are Akere-finu-sogbon (The small person with a mind full of wisdom) and Akoni-loran-bi-iyekan-.eni (He who gives one wise advice like one's relative) (9). It is this great wisdom of Ifa that gives him a high position among the other Yoruba gods.

Without Ifa, the importance of the other Yoruba gods would not be appreciated. If a man is being punished by the other gods, he can only know this by consulting Ifa. If a community is to make sacrifice to one of its gods, it can only know this by consulting Ifa. Thus, Ifa is the only active mouthpiece of Yoruba traditional religion taken as a whole. As a mouthpiece, Ifa serves to popularise the other Yoruba gods, and to immortalise them (Abimbola, "The place of Ifa in Yoruba tranditional religions"3-4). Ifa co-ordinates the work of all the gods in the Yoruba pantheon with his great wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He serves as a 'middleman' between the other gods and the people, and between the people and their ancestors. He is the mouthpiece and the public relations officer of all the other Yoruba gods (Abimbola, "Place of Ifa" 4). The wisdom and understanding of Ifa is believed to cover not only the past but also the present and the future. According to Olatunji (111), by consulting Ifa, the Yoruba find meaning and purpose in the past, the present, and the future. In traditional Yoruba society, the Yoruba consult Ifa before they do anything important and in all the major affairs of life: with the birth of a new child, in sickness, in contemplating a journey, in choice of a life partner, and at any other important turn in their lives.

This is an example from Otua meji in Saworoide:

Aso funfunni sunkunaro

ipilè oro ni i sunkunekeji tan tantan

Adia funAderinmokunomo oni alanakanesu

ijo ti n mekunserahun ire gbogbo

Bokanbayo ninu ibu a bona wa

ire gfoogbo o mo waJogbowa o ire gfoogfoo

Ba a ba damisori a bese wa

ire gfoogbo o mo waJogbowa o ire gbogbo

White cloth longs for indigo dye

The first part of a statement cries for the second

Divination was performed for the offspring of Alanakanesu

The day he was crying for all good things

When one comes from the deep it comes straight to the path

May all blessings come to Jogbo

When water is poured on the head it runs down to the feet

May all blessings come to Jogbo

As an age-long practice in Yorubaland, Ifa is normally consulted before a king is enthroned but in Saworoide the reverse is the case because the kingmakers install a king without consulting Ifa and without performing the necessary rites. Due to this act, the town is witnessing a lot of problems that had not been seen before. The chief in the end consults the Ifa oracle for a way out of the pandemonium that the people are experiencing. The Babalawo offers prayers of blessings for the town of Jogbo and normalcy returns to the community. In the film Saworoide, Isola makes it clear that Ifa literary corpus is the repository of Yoruba culture inside which the Yoruba perception of their own historical expertise and understanding of their environment can be ascertained. In relating belief practices to films, Isola makes selective use of resources from the people's oral tradition.

Drumbeats

Graphic or phonic substances are not the only means of communication; we can also communicate through semiotic-symbols or signals. One of the means of communication among the Yoruba is the talking drum. To understand the signal of any talking drum, one must be familiar with the language of the immediate community. A person without the knowledge or understanding of the Yoruba language will find it difficult to interpret the signal of the Yoruba talking drum because sounds produced by the drum would not be meaningful. The language of the drum differs from human speech in that the latter is articulated but the former is not. The implication of this is that drum sounds have a lower level of structural distinctiveness than the human language per se. A drum is manipulated by man to produce sound initiating speech tones. Therefore, the message given by the drum is always ambiguous because it is based on tones and rhythms (Ajayi, "The Talking Drum" 575). The Yoruba drum performs both rhythmic and communicative functions. It may also serve as therapy for troubled minds and may give warning, signal danger, or mobilise people to do some kind of work. A lot of people find it very difficult to interpret the obscure message of the drum because of the narrow means by which the drummer communicates his thoughts, which are merely tones and rhythms.

Due to the fact that only few people can decipher the language of the drum, there is ambiguity or multiplicity of meanings. In Yoruba traditional society, drumming is a family profession, which requires skill and perfection that cannot be attained without proper tutelage (Ajayi, "Talking Drum"). Therefore, a son in Yoruba society whose father is a drummer learns the art from childhood from his father and thereafter inherits his father's skill. In the contemporary Yoruba society, drumming is no longer the profession of the Ayan family; interested individuals can now learn the art of drumming.

In Saworoide when Adebomi and Adedigba are mysteriously killed by an unidentified person, the drum is used magically to communicatively commandeer Ayanniyi to come back home as a matter of urgency because he is the only living person in the Ayan family that can unravel the mysteries that surround the Ayangalu drum. He is summoned thus:

Ayanniyi sure tetetewa

Ayanniyi sure tetetewa

Iku o dojo aarun ko dosu

Ikan ajori, idin ajedo

di tobimin n fieeke si

Nile afi je

Otito oro niyi

Ayanniyi come quickly

Ayanniyi come quickly

One day the earth will swallow us all

Termites will consume the head

And maggots the liver

The buttocks that woman adorns with beads

Becomes food for mother earth

Alas the bitter truth

On hearing the drumbeat, Ayanniyi deciphers the hidden message embedded in the communication and immediately leaves all he is doing and heads home to obey the clarion call. Isola uses drumbeats to showcase Yoruba cultural values and to establish the parable of the drum as the voice of the people. He therefore uses traditional elements symbolically and metaphorically instead of being mirrored slavishly. These therefore appeal to the viewers and win their passion for the filmic text.

Incantations

Works on incantations include those of Onibon-Okuta, Fabunmi, Fadipe, Bacom, Beier, Ogunba, Olatunji, and Opefeyitimi. According to Olatunji, incantation is a restricted poetic form, cultic and mystical in its expectations (139). Olatunji further affirms that the moment incantation is obtained it becomes an individual's personal property. It is therefore guarded jealously by the owner, for to reveal it to others is to lay oneself bare to the attack of foes. Incantation can be chanted or recited and entails uttering of words according to a formula and in a set order. For an incantation to be effective, certain taboos should be strictly adhered to and it may be necessary to take some actions such as tasting certain concoctions or chewing alligator pepper which serves as a catalyst. In Yoruba society, four beliefs underlie the use and practice of incantation: the belief in sympathies, belief in the magic of names, belief in origin, and belief in the magic power of the spoken word. Bamgbose classifies incantations into five types, namely, ofo, ogede, ayajo, aasan, and ohunifa, which are all incantatory poetry. Opefeyitimi, under terminological underpinning, re-classifies incantations into four types. He asserts that Ohun Ifa is not a genre per se, but rather a combination of all the verbal legacies which Orunmila left behind for his followers (213). Incantation, therefore, is a personal poem, closely associated with a user who directs the powers he has invoked to carry out his desires and observing all the taboos and rites associated with the incantation. Below is an example of incantation in Isola's film Efunsetan Aniwura:

Agbero niikun n gbowo

Arumaso nisigidi n rugba ose

Emkankii siwo lumi

Enlkan ki i fesu jokoo

Afopokii rowo hori

Ari tagiri nitejo

Bina ba romi a gbagbe ile to fe e jo

Betu ba romi a gbagbe ariwo to fee pa

O ya madaa owo re wa

The squirrel's hands are forever suspended

Sigidi forever carries the calabash soap

No one raises hand to beat excreta

No one sits on Esu

Palm oil maker cannot have hand to scratch her head

One cannot but panic on seeing a snake

Fire forgets the house it wishes to burn

Immediately it sights water

Gunpowder forgets the sound it wishes to make

Immediately it sights water

Now surrender the cutlass in your hand to me

After the demise of Aw.ero, Itawuyi decides to kill Efunsetan with a cutlass as revenge for losing his two female friends and confidant to the cold hand of death in quick succession through Iyalode. Efunsetan, being a powerful woman, recites the incantations above to render Itawuyi powerless and to subject him to her will through the power of the spoken word. She also wards off the evil designs of Itawuyi and becomes victorious. One can infer from the incantation made by Efunsetan that incantation is closely associated with a user who directs the powers she has invoked to carry out her own desires. Through his work, Isola has therefore established the Yoruba belief in the magic power of the spoken word.

Panegyric

Panegyric, a form of praise poem, is universal and has been explored by critics such as Abbott, Sweet, Sperl, Smith, and Finnegan respectively. Finnegan says that panegyric, in its specialised form, is: "[...] a type of court poetry and one of the most developed and elaborate poetic genres of Africa. It seems to go with a particular ethos, stress on royal or aristocratic power, and an admiration for military" (111).

In the film Efunsetan Aniwura the court poet eulogises the king and the chief with the praise name of the Ibadan indigene thus:

Ibadan a gbo sasa ogunmasaa

A gbo yaya mo ya

Ilu Ojo, ilu Ajayi, ilu Ogunmola Olodogbokai loju ogun

Ilu to gbeonie to gbealejo

Ibadanmaja maja to fi kara iwaju leru

Omo ajorosun, omo ajegbinyo

Omo afikarahunfori mu

Ibadankii ba ni sore ai munirogun

Ibadanbeere ki o to wo o

Nibi ole gbe njareolohun

Iba lowo oke Ibadan

Ko siluu to le foju dia

Fulani dan an wo o te tesintesin

Bee agbara.eyin akin yii naani

Ibadan that heard the sound of war and refused to run

They heard that war was close by but not bothered

The town of Ojo, the town of Ajayi

The town of Ogunmola the valiant at war front

The town that is hospitable to the indigenes and strangers

Ibadan that refrained from fighting until the predecessors were enslaved

The offspring of he that ate Oro as supper and ate snails to satisfaction

The offspring of him that uses shell to make pap

Ibadan is not a friend to him who doesn't take him to war

Ibadan where you ask before you enter

A place where the thief is exonerated

Homage to Ibadan hill

Any town who dares Ibadan's mettle will regret such boldness

The Fulani who tries it was disgraced together with his horse

Due thanks to you great warriors

In the panegyric of Ibadan, the chanter reveals the prowess in warfare that the Ibadan people are known for. He also accentuates the audaciousness of the Ibadan people; they are eulogised as fearless, bold, and tactical at the war front. The panegyric no doubt stirs pride and confidence in the king and his chiefs who are Ibadan indigenes because their fierceness in battle was brought to the fore. Panegyric is deliberately used by Isola in Efunsetan Aniwura for aesthetics and for arousal of strong emotions.

 

Conclusion

In this article I have examined orality in three of Isola's films, with a view to showing how he uses verbal arts as a powerful tool for the transmission of cultural values in his films. I found that folktales, legends, songs, Ifa corpus, drumbeats, incantations, and panegyric are the Yoruba oral genres that Isola incorporates. One can infer from Isola's films that there is an overlap between his oral culture and his creative work because culture is the active force that energises and drives creative work. I conclude that Isola uses his creative ingenuity to re-awake and preserve Yoruba oral tradition in his films, which points to the fact that oral literature has a continued vitality for contemporary society.

 

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Submitted: 24 July 2022
Accepted: 1 March 2023
Published: ... 2023

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