DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERATURE

This study examined the representation of war memory and national trauma in Wale Ogunyemi’s The Flood and Ahmed Yerima’s Echoes of War. It explored how both playwrights employ dramatic art to expose the lingering scars of conflict and the struggle for national healing. Through close textual analysis, the research showed that Ogunyemi used symbolism and myth to portray a community haunted by guilt and divine retribution, while Yerima utilized ritual and performance but focuses on silence as a symbol of unresolved suffering. Both plays transformed memory into resistance, revealing how the burden of war continues to shape Nigeria’s collective conscience. The study concluded that theatre functions as a medium of processing collective trauma, remembrance and renewal, transforming pain into awareness and tragedy into moral reflection. Ultimately, both playwrights affirmed that true healing begins when a nation remembers

This project looks at how heroism is shown as a social responsibility in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman and Ola Rotimi's Kurunmi. In Soyinka's play, the horseman is expected to carry out a duty that will keep the community's tradition alive, but his failure shows how ignoring responsibility can bring disorder to society. In Rotimi's Kurunmi, the leader stands firmly by tradition, but his pride and strictness raise questions about whether his actions truly serve the people. By comparing both plays, the study shows that heroism is not just about bravery but also about serving the community and protecting its values. The project also portrays that in African drama, true heroism is tied to the well-being of society and the choices individuals make for the common good

This study investigates the syntactic features of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and linguistic profiling as found in The Hate U Give (2018) and Queen N’ Slim (2019). Using the dual framework of Chomsky’s Minimalist Program for syntactic analysis and Sociolinguistics for social context, the research qualitatively analyses selected scenes to identify the key AAVE structures and its contribution to stereotypical representations. The findings also establish AAVE as a rule-governed dialect while revealing that its portrayal in crime narratives often links it to criminality, thereby reinforcing stereotypes. The study concludes that media representations can perpetuate linguistic profiling but also hold the potential for more balanced depictions that affirm AAVE as a legitimate and authentic form of expression.

This abstract explores the intersection of poetry and the culture of impunity as depicted in Halima Amali's "Faces of Shame." The study analyzes how Amali's poetic work serves as a critical lens through which to examine societal structures and behaviors that enable and perpetuate impunity, particularly concerning issues of injustice and societal neglect. By dissecting key themes and stylistic elements within the collection, this analysis aims to illuminate the ways in which poetry can function as a powerful tool for social commentary and critique, exposing the multifaceted nature of shame and its deep-rooted connection to a culture where accountability is often evaded. The research highlights the significance of Amali's contribution to understanding the socio-cultural implications of impunity and the role of art in challenging dominant narratives

Migration is a complex global phenomenon influenced by economic, social, political, and environmental factors. It involves the movement of individuals or groups from one location to another, often driven by the pursuit of improved economic opportunities, safety from conflict, or escape from environmental challenges. The study therefore examines how selected contemporary African literary texts portrayed migration and reveal its causes and consequences on the characters. The data for this study were drawn from selected African novels that portray migration and its related experiences. The study adopts a qualitative research design using textual analysis to examine the themes, meanings, and realities of migration represented in the texts. A purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting the novels and characters relevant to the study in order to achieve a focused and detailed analysis. The selected characters were chosen based on their relevance to the theme of migration and their contribution to the development of the study. In addition, the theory of transnationalism was employed to analyse how migrants maintain social, emotional, economic, and cultural connections across national borders. The findings revealed that the major drivers of migration in postcolonial African society, as depicted in the three novels, were poverty, political unrest, and the search for better opportunities. The novels revealed that migrants experienced impacts on their identity and sense of belonging, reflecting emotional and psychological struggles that extended beyond physical relocation. Additionally, migrants in the diaspora faced significant and overwhelming challenges, including homesickness, fear of deportation, and frustration. The study contributed to knowledge by examining migration across the selected African novels through the lens of transnationalism, thereby deepening the understanding of migration as not only a physical movement but also an emotional, psychological, and transnational experience shaped by postcolonial realities.

This study explores gender deconstruction in Akwaeke Emezi’s Freshwater and Tendai Huchu’s The Hairdresser of Harare. It examines how both writers question traditional gender norms and present identity as fluid and socially constructed. Drawing on Queer Theory and Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity, the research analyzes how characterization, narrative technique, and symbolism are employed to challenge heteronormative ideals within African societies. Emezi’s Freshwater portrays the protagonist’s fragmented identity through spiritual and psychological dimensions, redefining gender beyond Western binaries, while Huchu’s The Hairdresser of Harare explores gender and sexuality within a conservative Zimbabwean context, revealing through irony and social critique the marginalisation of queer identities. Using a qualitative analytical approach, the study concludes that both texts disrupt fixed gender categories and reimagine selfhood as performative and evolving. Through this, Emezi and Huchu expand the discourse on gender and identity in contemporary African literature, emphasizing diversity, self-definition, and the freedom of individual expression.

The aim of the study was to examine the End Special Anti-Robbery Squad (#EndSARS) protest from a semiotic perspective. The objectives were to investigate the meaning potential of #EndSARS text as a semiotic system; analyze signification strategies in the use of signs as presented by protesters on the internet; and explore the role and impact of signs in mobilizing participants and shaping the movement’s outcomes. The data for the study were media posts, memes, protest photographs, and artwork (cartoons). A total of 100 #EndSARS-related datasets were collected, and they were screened based on certain criteria such as, the need for the data to be exclusively #EndSARS, and the inclusion of the presence of either verbal or visual elements containing relevant keywords related to #EndSARS, which resulted in the eventual selection of thirty. The study adopted the sign typology by Charles Sanders Pierce to categorize the #EndSARS protest sign and used Saussure’s dyadic model of sign to analyze the data. The study found that the #EndSARS text functioned as a complex semiotic system, comprising various constituent units such as hashtags, images, slogans, and gestures, as well as the interactions among these units contributed to the #EndSARS text's overall meaning by highlighting the cyclical nature of societal challenges in Nigeria. Signification strategy of color (red, yellow, black, and green), gestures (raised fist, raised flag, and sitting of protesters), attire (hijab, hair tie, and face mask) was employed by agitators as sign of resistance, urgency, justice for the Nigerian youths, and socio-political change. Hashtags like #ENDSARS, #ENDSWAT, #ENDPOLICEBRUTALITY and #ALUTA CONTINUA were used in mobilizing participants by creating a sense of solidarity and collective identity among protesters.

This study examines how Nigerian youths construct social identity through the use of slang on social media platforms. Drawing on Social Identity Theory, it explores how language choice and creative expression in online communication reflect belonging, individuality, and shared cultural experience. The analysis focuses on English-based, Pidgin-based, and indigenous-based slangs to show how linguistic innovation operates as a marker of youth identity in digital spaces. Findings reveal that slang use among young Nigerians is not merely playful but serves as a powerful tool for self-presentation and group connection. The interaction between Pidgin and English-based slangs demonstrates a fluid linguistic relationship in which both forms blend to create hybrid expressions that mirror the dynamic realities of modern Nigerian youth. Overall, the study highlights that slang functions as a site of identity performance, resistance, and creativity revealing how young Nigerians negotiate local and global influences through language in the digital age

This study critically examines the poetic works of Niyi Osundare in "The Word is an Egg" and Okinba Launko in "Dream-Seeker on Divining Chain", with a focus on their visions of freedom and justice. Grounded in Marxist theory, the research situates both poets within the socio-political contexts of oppression, inequality, and historical exploitation in African societies, highlighting how poetry functions as a tool for social critique and consciousness-raising. Osundare’s work demonstrates a deliberate engagement with language as a weapon of resistance; his metaphors of the Word as fragile yet transformative, and the careful structuring of imagery and irony, reveal the mechanisms through which language challenges authoritarian power and exposes systemic injustice. Similarly, Launko’s poetry combines lyrical introspection with socio-political observation, mapping the intersections of memory, collective suffering, and hope. Through his vivid portrayals of historical violence, social decay, and the persistence of human aspiration, Launko articulates a vision of a just society where freedom is both a natural right and a moral imperative. The research foregrounds the poetic techniques employed by both writers, including metaphor, symbolism, and tonal variation, as instruments that dramatize oppression and highlight possibilities of emancipation. Close textual analysis of selected poems, including The Word is an Egg, Trapped Words, Ode to Anger, and Launko’s Freedom Song, Petals, and A Forming Fear, demonstrates how the poets’ works articulate visions of social transformation, collective memory, and moral accountability. By situating these texts within a Marxist framework, the study underscores the socio-economic and political critiques embedded in the poetry, revealing the tension between the oppressed and the structures that sustain their marginalization. Ultimately, this research presents Osundare and Launko not merely as literary figures but as cultural commentators and activists, whose poetry embodies both a critique of exploitation and a constructive vision for liberation. Their works illuminate the dynamics of power, resistance, and human aspiration, offering profound insights into the role of African poetry as a medium for social awareness, historical reflection, and the pursuit of justice.

This study examines Afrobeats as tools for political and social resistance in Nigeria, with a focus on how artistes employ music to influence and critique the political and social realities of the nation. The research reveals that Afrobeats has evolved beyond entertainment into a powerful instrument for social awareness, political activism, and resistance against oppression, corruption, and injustice. The study adopts New Historicism Theory as its theoretical framework, which states that understanding a literary or artistic work requires knowledge of the historical context that shapes it. This approach enables an exploration of how Afrobeats reflects and responds to Nigeria’s political and social decadence. Ten songs were analyzed, including Eedris Abdulkareem’s “Jaga Jaga” and “Tell Your Papa”; Burna Boy’s “20.10.20”, “Another Story”, “Monsters You Made”, “Common Person”, and “Wetin Man Go Do”; Falz’s “This Is Nigeria” and “Johnny”; and Teni’s “Uyo Meyo.” I’m Findings show that these artistes use Afrobeats as a medium for advocacy, self-expression, and societal critique. Their songs confront issues such as bad governance, state violence, social inequality, unemployment, and moral decay while inspiring resilience and hope among listeners. The study concludes that Afrobeats functions as a voice for the people. It educates, unites, and awakens social consciousness; thereby placing the genre as a vital tool for political and social transformation in contemporary Nigerian society