Tensions of Cultural Hybridity in Africa’s Globalisation in Wole Soyinka’s the Lion and the Jewel

Abstract

This paper explores the tensions of cultural hybridity within African dramatic literature against the backdrop of globalisation, with a focused case study on Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel. Through content analysis, it expounds how Soyinka enacts the conflict between tradition and modernity, indigenous identity and westen influence, using the microcosm of a Yoruba village Ilujinle as a site of cultural contestation. The central conflict in the play is charaterised in Baroka, the traditional village Chief “The Lion”, and Lukunle the westerneducated school teacher, to unravel the complexities of hybridity. Lakunle’s embrace of western ideals as typified in monogamy, modern education, and disdain for bride price clashes with Baroka’s rootedness in African tradition. Globalisation is aptly humanised in Lakunle’s rejection of traditional customs without understanding their social significance leads to his alienation from the community in contrast, Baroka, though an epitome of tradition, cleverly integrates aspects of modernisation as exemplified in proposed printing press to reflect a more adaptive hybridity. Tensions of Cultural Hybridity is heightened in the contestation of Baroka, custodian of culture and Lakunle embodiment of westernisation, for Sidi’s hand in marriage. This study argues that Soyinka’s work exemplifies the negotiation of hybridity, reflecting broader anxieties and creative potentials in African literature under globalising pressures.