Hello ! Everyone. Here I am sharing my PowerPoint Presentation on The African Literature on the topic " Tradition v/s Modernity : The Quest for Cultural Identity with the reference of The Swamp Dwellers by Wole Soyinka. I hope It will helpful to you.

1. ¤ Name :- Nirali Makvana
¤ Semester :- 4 ( M.A )
¤ Roll No. :- 14
¤ Subject :- The African Literature
¤ Topic :- Tradition v/s modernity : The Quest for cultural
identity with the reference of The Swamp Dwellers.
¤Submitted to :- Department of English, Maharaja
Krishnakumarsinhaji Bhavnagar university.
¤ Email ID :- niralimakvana9599@gmail.com

2. ABSTRACT
The concept of development has become generalized, a large
number of new nations have made us aware of the wide
variety of outcomes and possibilities for change and
continuity. These have led to a more critical appreciation
between new and old aspect of social, economic and
innovation are necessarily in conflict has begun to overly
unreal. It is fallacious to assume that a traditional society
has always existed in its present form or that the recent
past represents an unchanged situation.

3. ♧ How the idea of “ Development ” has changed the mind of
people ?
♧ How people are still struggling to live with tradition ?
♧ How corruption plays a vital role in both modernity and
tradition ?
☆ Research Objectives….

4. General Definition of
Modernity and tradition
Modernity
“Modern” refers to
those practices that
relate to the Industrial
mode of production or the
development of large
scale
Tradition
“Traditional” refers to
those societies or elements
of societies that are small
scale derived from
indigenous and often
ancient cultural practice.

5. ● The movement into cities, the emergence of a
commercial middle class, the beginning of money
economy, the invention of banks and currency
exchanges, coupled revolutionary changes in
Agriculture, joined to subvert feudal structures and
their newly outmoded ways of living and thinking
may the major reasons for attractions of youth
towards modernity.

6. Tradition
Modernity
Awuchike
Desala
Igwezu
Makuri and Alu

7. “ The Swamp Dwellers” is a play that
was written by Wole Soyinka and was
published in 1958. Wole Soyinka is a
writer from Nigeria and he was the
first American to be honoured with a
Nobel Prize, winning the 1986 Nobel
Prize in Literature. Soyinka was
politically active during Nigeria’s
struggle for independence, even getting
arrested later during the nigerian Civil
War.

8. “ The Swamp Dweller” is a play of
universal appeal. It talks about remote
rural and urban society; family life;
Confronting of Old and New society,
Psychological conflict between Old and
Young generation, Love for modernity and
the love for swamp. The Play mirrors the
Socio - cultural pattern, the Pang and the
suffering of the Swamp Dwellers and
underlines the need for absorbing new
ideas.

9. ● Makuri, Alu and Villagers believe in Yoruban faith system.
● They are worried for their twins sons and declared
Awuchike spiritually dead.
● Igwezu returns home after losing all money in the city and
continue the work in farms.
● Awuchike becomes rich in one night.
● The Kadiye ( The Serpent priest) is the example of how
one exploit others through blind faith.

10. What we Conclude that...
● We can always find the conflict between
modernity and traditions because the Youth is
interested in inventing new things and want to go
forward with technology but still the old age people
are not ready to accept the modernity and
development. Still they want to live with their
traditional rules and costumes.

11. Work Citation
● Gusfield, Joseph R. “Tradition and Modernity: Misplaced Polarities in the Study of
Social Change.” The American Journal of Sociology, vol. 72, no. 4, 1967, pp. 351–362.
● Rahman, Muhammad Mushfiqur. “Instances of Powerful Family Bond in Soyinka's
The Swamp Dwellers.” Journal of Humanities and Social Science, no. 19, ser. 4, pp. 1–
4.
● Ratsika, Nikoleta. “Between Tradition and Modernity: The Occupation Choices of
Young People in Rural Crete.” 2021.
● Sherover, Charles M. “Forming the Mind of Modernity.” International Journal on World
Peace, vol. 15, no. 1, 1998, pp. 23–49.