Elements of Folklore in Efua Sutherland’s Plays: The Marriage of Anansewa and Edufa

Abstract

Oral literature in Africa began with the study of folklore (Finnegan, 1970). Folklore as a field of study covers many areas including Geography, Anthropology, History and Literature. Folklore as an important aspect of literature is not only spoken but also written and thus, reflects in literary works of African writers in general. It is perceived also as one of the best ways of passing a living culture or tradition onto future generations. In view of this, this thesis set out to examine the elements of folklore in Sutherland’s two texts: The Marriage of Anansewa and Edufa through the New Historicism theory. The specific objectives of this study were to identify the folkloric elements in The Marriage of Anansewa and Edufa and explore the literary and didactic effects of these folkloric elements in the two texts. Data was collected from two sources: primary and secondary sources. After a thorough reading of the two drama texts, the major folkloric elements identified and discussed were marriage, songs and the use of supernatural. The analysis revealed that the folkloric elements employed in the texts are not just for aesthetic purposes, but they also have didactic functions. Some other functions include the development of plot, creating comic relief and revealing other practices in the Akan culture, specifically Fante. The study provides insight into the folkloric elements in the Akan culture, specifically, the Fante culture, in relation to the two texts: The Marriage of Anansewa and Edufa.