Towards a new form of African novel:Ada Ugah's Theory of the novel in ballads

Abstract

This paper analyses the balladic novel as initiated by Ada Ugah and highlights its advantages over the traditional novelistic format greatly influenced by the European romance tradition. Texts that provide material for the analysis include Ugah's first two trail-blazers: Ballads of the unknown soldier (a novel in ballads) and colours of the Rainbow (a novel in ballads). The paper contends that the balladic novel has many qualities that give it good prospects of success over the conventional novel. It stresses the fact that it is more indigenous to the African because it has affinity with the traditional oral tale and fits into African story-telling forms. It is lyrical, chantable, easy to dramatize, short and illustrated with pictures therefore easier to read, and more amenable to aesthetic embellishments. It is, therefore, projected that the balladic novel is likely to become the African novel form for the 21st Century.

LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research Vol. 3 () 2006: pp.121-131