JOHN PEPPER CLARK-BEKEDEREMO'S SONG OF A GOAT: AN ABSURDIST EXPLORATION

Abstract

Since man first woke up on this earth, he has been intrigued by the question of his very existence. How did he come to be, why is he here, what is he supposed to do here and ultimately where does he go from here? These existential questions troubled him then as he still does now and the bigger question is what progress has man made since he first began to contemplate these questions? Consequently, he has this natural tendency to continually find meaning to life and inherent value to his existence. And this internal conflict tends towards the absurd as it arises from fundamental disharmony between the human tendency to seek meaning and the idea that no true meaning really exists. Operating from the philosophical and metaphysical streams of consciousness, the absurd dramatists artistically communicate non-realistic unconventional scenarios aimed at reiterating the existentialist and often intractably complex world of the humankind. The aesthetics of absurdism inhibits the causal and logical flow of actions; th plays evolve in a staccato and episodic plot structure, the characters lack individuality, the language tends to be eclectic and elevated as opposed to everyday language, while the story of the plays are often tall tales that beggar belief. This paper shall examine in context the philosophical concept of absurdism using the African tragic play Song of a Goat by John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo as a case study. The absurdist theory to literature shall be our theoretical paradigm and our conclusion shall be premised on the fact that man's overall stay on this planet is merely an existential one where he has little or no real role to play at happenstances to his existence; but play, he must.