The document summarizes the play "The Swamp Dwellers" by Wole Soyinka, which portrays the struggle between tradition and modernity in Yoruba culture. The play presents the village, representing tradition, versus the city, representing modernity and western influence. While tradition is rooted in cultural heritage, modernity promises change and development but risks moral degradation. The characters Igwegu and Awuchike, twins representing each side, show the differences between traditional village life and modern city life in post-colonial Nigeria.

1. TOPIC:- Tradition v/s Modernity
 Guided by :- Heena ma’am
 Prepared :- Divya vaghela
 Sejal parmar
 Paper no :- 14
 Paper :- The African literature
 Submitted to :- Department of English


2. Tradition V/S Modernity in The Swamp dwellers:-
 It was a play by Wole Soyinka in which he has
portrayed the real picture of two sides that is
Tradition V/S Modernity.
 The play was about Yoruba culture.
 It deal with the Struggle between human being
and the Unfavourable force of the nature.
 The play presents the post – Colonial Nigerian.

3. What is Tradition ?
 It was a cultural, social and conventional idea.
 It can call as Non-western attitude/ Culture.
 Village – joint family, caste......
 Established power and unofficial violence in village.
 “Tradition is a belief or behaviour passed down within a group or society with
symbolic meaning or special significant with origin in the past ”.
 The Tradition was represented by Alu, Makuri and Igwegu in the play.

4. What is Modernity??
 It was a complex phenomenon.
 Encompasses various elements of the so called south African tradition or any
tradition.
 Is it all about accepting western ideas, culture and forgetting the tradition of
one’s own ?
 “ Modernity is Something such as a system or a factory means to change it by
replacing old equipment or methods with new ones ”.

5. About Modernity........
 Modernity means :-
1. No tradition
2. No heritage
3. No craft
4. No identity
• The concept of change and development in Modernity.
• The city is the result of colonialism, capitalism, industrialization; the shift from
tradition to Modernity.
• The modernity represents by Awuchike and Desala in the play.

6. Continue......
 Tradition and Modernity is a linear theory of social change .
 Tradition- a frame work of nationhood.
 The concept of development in Modernity.
 Traditional/ Modern values : fostering encouraging corrupt behaviour.
 Tradition is taught by our elders.

7. Continue......
 Modernity : A person’s thoughts about the world.
 Corruption: not related with tradition or Modernity
 Modernization has brought materialistic values to the front seat and ethical
moral values have been relegated to the back seat ...?
 Makuri :- “ The city life is a large place You could live there all your life and never
meet half the people in it. ”
 This dialogue shows the reality which lies in the city life.

8.  Makuri begins to discuss the city: “It ruins them. The city ruins them . What do
they seek there except money?
 Alu responds , “ It was the Swamp.. He went the same way as my son”(87). The
point is clear ,even outside of youruba belief – the city is a swamp ,a place of
moral degradation, that kills those who go there.
 Igwegu and Awuchike they both are twins. One is representing the tradition
and another is representing the Modernity.

9. To sum up :-
 So, at the end we can conclude that The Swamp dwellers is presenting the
Village and city life; as Village life connected with Tradition and City life shows
The Modernity. Both are totally differ from each other.