Re-constructing the Theory and Practice of Oral Performance in Africa

For quite sometimes now, scholars have been exploring the contested theory of oral performance. As a dynamic and ever- evolving concept, it varies in scope, meaning and import, from one discipline to another, from one situation to another, and from one practitioner to another. While some conceptualize oral performance as the application of embodied skill and knowledge in the task of taking action in everyday society (Drewal, 1991), others argue that while the text is important, it is the context that gives the text life. More importantly, researchers have started to re-problematize the phenomenon of oral performance in view of current oral production and performance practices. For instance, while making a case for the survival of orality and performance, Finnegan (2005) posits that there is not just one relation between the ‘performed oral’ and the ’textual written’, neither is there a clear distinction between them. She argues that writing can interact with oral performance in different ways. This paper, in stretching the limits of traditional paradigms and situating the contemporary Nigerian society within the discourse, explores such possibilities of interaction, and concludes that there is abundant life beyond the text.

Keywords: Oral Performance Traditional Paradigms Contested Theory Africa

Author

• Mark O. Ighile, PhD
  Faculty of Arts and Education,
  Benson Idahosa University, Nigeria.
  Email: mighile@biu.edu.ng