MARRIAGES AND LOVE IN AFRICA: A DISCOURSE ON WOLE SOYINKA'S THE LION AND THE JEWEL

Love is an emotion that nearly everyone has experienced at some time in their life. One would think that with such a familiar concept, researchers would agree on what constitutes love and how to measure it. That has not been the case, yet love is appreciated by all animals, especially the human race. Even though love is universal, it is very difficult to understand it. It is also difficult to explain love from one cultural viewpoint. Consequently, there are so many works that are based on it; yet each person tries to look at it from his/her cultural viewpoint. In this paper, the theme of love is explored with the aim of discovering the meaning, type and context of love in Africa. Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel is used in examining 'African Love'. At the same time, some other western concepts of love are examined and compared to what obtains in Africa. It is submitted that the type of love practiced in Africa is called Phileo love. This type of love accommodates both polygamy and monogamy.