Portrayal of Destiny in Contemporary African Drama: Otun’s The Gods are Still not to Blame and Emoruwa’s Rebirth in Perspective

Abstract

This paper “Portrayal of Destiny in Contemporary African Drama: Otun’s The Gods are Still not to Blame and Emoruwa’s Rebirth in Perspective” critically examines the concept of destiny through the lenses of tradition (Greek and Yoruba) and religion (Traditional religion, Islam and Christianity) to study the theme of destiny. The work traces how different dramatists have been able to examine this concept and how it applies to human society. Several scholarly materials are utilized in conducting this study aside from the primary texts predominantly used. Using the aforementioned as the bedrock for the research, some answers are sought to this question by engaging several sources of human endeavours. The work looks at the existence and expression of destiny in human lives through a metaphysical perspective and seeks to unravel the authenticity of the claim that the supernatural controls the lives and other things pertaining to the earthly existence of mortals. It studies the consequences of a ‘choiced-destiny’ versus ‘forced-destiny’. This work, therefore, seeks to make scholarly input on literary works such as adaptations, religious and cultural debates on the influence of supernatural forces on human existence, and the failure/success regarding the quest to overturn negative trails of destiny. In addition, it provides a useful contribution to how different worldview unites and differs in the human search to unravel 'truth'.

Keywords: Destiny, adaptation, rebirth, Yoruba culture.