Abstract
This dissertation examines two of Femi Osofisan’s plays, Women of Owu (2004) and Tegonni: An African Antigone (1999), which are adaptations of classic Greek plays: The Trojan Women and Antigone, respectively. It argues that there are postcolonial themes in Osofisan’s adaptations which are relevant to his African society. The dissertation contends that the role of women, citizens, rulers are central themes in Osofisan’s adaptations of the Greek texts to his African society while also addressing the impact of the colonial influence on the postcolonial African society. This research draws on selected postcolonial theories (such as Albert Memmi’s concept of Coloniser and the colonized, Michel Foucault’s theory on Power and other postcolonial scholars studies on African literature) to analyse Osofisan’s postcolonial themes. In particular, The Trojan Women and Women of Owu focus on war, which is peculiar to both plays and a major challenge on the African continent. Antigone and Tegonni: An African Antigone focuses on the question of supremacy of law which Osofisan relates to the military intervention and incessant political instability in African society. The dissertation also conducts a comparative study of the primary texts in the textual analysis. The study concludes that through adaptation and postcolonial themes, Osofisan commits to a decisive self-analysis to elaborate on African’s postcolonial challenges.