A PRAGMATIC EXPERIENCE OF ETHICO-AESTHETIC DEPICTION OF YORÙBÁ VILLAGE COMMUNAL LIFE IN WRITTEN POETRY

An increasing number of modernization factors and trending socio-cultural phenomena are rapidly eroding the Yorùbá traditional communal village settings, “abúlé/oko,” a feature that ultimately defines Yorùbá society. This paper critically examines how the Yorùbá poet Àyọadé Òkédòkun uses the theme of the Yorùbá rural communal lifestyle to highlight sociological and philosophical concepts of existentialism in a typical African village setting. The study focuses on Yorùbá rural communal life as portrayed in Òkédòkun’s poem “Nígbà Tàwa,” (during our own time), which conveys deeper ethico-aesthetic themes for decolonization, renaissance, and integration within modern Yorùbá society and African ways of life. We employed a quantitative approach, analyzing the poet’s philosophical stance as a reference point, grounded in the theory of poetic communication. Findings reveal that the constant flow of information and technological advancement has somewhat truncated the natural, serene, and communal environment traditionally associated with Yorùbá rural life, with both positive and negative impacts on rural inhabitants. Their worldview and socio-ethico-responses to life have generally been shaped by modernity. It is also observed that some Yorùbá cultural values have been consciously or unconsciously jettisoned due to the great influence of city life.