Radical Ideology in Contemporary Nigerian Drama: Femi Osofisan‟s Morountodun, Examined

Drama can be perceived and studied as a social phenomenon, constantly sensitive to and expressing new aspects of life, current demands and hopes, giving rise to new social attitudes and relationships. Thus, drama is conditioned by the ideological relationship among people, their ordinary social consciousness which perceives a reflection of contemporary reality vis-a-vis the dramatic interpretation of topical problems. Perhaps along the line of political and ideological relevance, the essence of demystifying, both the content and internal organization of drama to treat the social issues and conceptions which nourish it has become more imperative today than ever before. Over the last two decades, Nigerian dramatists have revealed an overt political commitment that has been described as ‘radical' and growing tendency away from the conventional wisdom enshrined in the bulk of their plays. The development of a revolutionary approach to drama among Nigerian dramatists forms part of this growing radical tendency. It is in realization of this tendency that one is examining the theme of revolution in Femi Osofisan's Morountodun to find out the extent at which revolution is used to achieve the social transformation of the society. The play depicts Osofisan's radical approach to historical and social realities and the urgent need for a social revolution that will give birth to a socialist state in Nigeria.