Conflict and tension between the 2
dichotomous cultures
Through settings, music and dance as
symbolism: Tango vs drums, Viennese
waltz vs trance, anachronism and
sterility vs expression of life
Gender
Females as subordinates by men
Base for which the masculine
nationalism is built upon -
possession or sex objects
Women as stabilisers, anchor in a
turbulent present
Protect custom,
ensuring that nothing
jeopardises the
stability
Empowered when their
culture is in threat
Duty vs Desire
To the collective
Special communal responsibilities thrust upon prominent
individuals - destiny
Identities linked to duty
Conflict with one's nature/ desire
Eg) Elesin's hypocrisy, convince
his friends at the purity of his
actions
Failure of will as an
allegory of a wider
African failure to stick to
indigenous values, even
when not actually forced
to abandon them
Irreparable cost to
individual and society
Death
The continuation of life
to the next stage vs the
end
Tragedy
Olunde's self sacrifice as a powerful
periphery, Elesin's suicide in an
undignified manner, disruption to
culture, futile sacrifices by women
Outsider
Rejection,
ridiculed when
actions offend
societal norms
Disrespecting to
culture they don't
understand
Intervention as a destructive force
Formative effect on hybrid's sense of
identity and roots, receive education
and understanding of both cultures,
strengthens their ability to protect the
Yoruba culture - language and
sentence structure