A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka
This blog is based on A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka and this task was assigned by Megha Trivedi Ma'am. Introduction A Dance of the Forests is a profoundly symbolic play in which Wole Soyinka interrogates history, ritual, guilt, and the cyclical nature of human failure. Written for Nigeria’s independence celebrations, the play deliberately refuses to glorify the past and instead summons dishonourable ancestors to confront the living with their inherited moral corruption. Soyinka employs Yoruba cosmology, spirits, and ritual drama to expose how societies repeatedly evade responsibility for their actions by hiding behind tradition and celebration. This proposed alternative ending seeks to remain faithful to Soyinka’s philosophical vision while offering a modified resolution that emphasizes ethical awakening rather than divine judgment. It does not contradict the original play’s logic but extends it by focusing on confession, memory, and human agency. Instead of conclud...