MULTICULTURAL AESTHETICS IN FELIX EGWUDA’S THE PILLARS AND UCHE NWAOZUZU’S THE CANDLES

Abstract

This study is a seminal work on the selected plays. It adopts a close reading of the plays to examine the themes of multiculturalism and cultural diversity as aesthetic platforms used individually by the authors to interrogate the roles of ethnic and cultural sentiments in the underdevelopment of the Nigerian nation and how these sentiments continue to challenge efforts at national integration. This paper takes a close look at the creative ingenuity of the authors in terms of their ability to reveal the core of the problem without sacrificing literary objectivity. It compares the two plays with some other plays with similar themes, recognizing their uniqueness, and concludes by identifying the dramatic form as a veritable medium for multicultural communication and education. This study encourages more dramatic creations on cultural diversity and national integration, especially at the present time when the corporate existence of Nigeria and ethnic agitations for self-determination are in the front burner.