Oral Tradition as the Literary Skeleton of African Novels: A Study of Nkem Nwankwo’s Danda

Abstract

Literary writers and works find their roots and expression in the culture that breeds them. This assertion is true because literary works do not exist in isolation of the people‘s way of life, often expressed in what they do (social functions and roles); what they think (their philosophy of life about birth, death, God, heaven, hell, health, ancestors, wealth, poverty etc) and what they have (the material aspects of culture such as houses, war materials, masquerades, dances etc. it is from these various aspects of culture that literary artists borrow the raw materials which they embellish to produce written works in art such as plays, novels and poems. A notable critic of African literature, O.R Darthorne, shares the above view when he said, ―African literature in its written form relies heavily on oral literature.‖ In line with the above views, this paper traces the literary skeleton of Nkem Nwankwo‘s novel – Danda - as a work that profoundly borrowed from African oral traditions.