The Elements of Drama in Koito a Traditional Wedding Ceremony Among the Tugen People of Baringo Kenya

Abstract

African indigenous festivals in Africa have been described by Finnegan (1970) as ‗quasi-dramatic‘ and they lack the dramatic structure of the West. This view is against that of the literary African scholars who claim that traditional festivals in Africa are fully dramatic and literary and should not be judged strictly by Western canons. Without documentation of these important festivals, the vital aspects of these performances have been rendered vestigial resulting in its disappearance. African traditional performance modes earlier practiced by Africans, were affected by West colonialism and by today‘s globalization. These traditional dramatic forms though still hold a high position in the lives of Africans as it is used as a mode of instruction and community governance. This study establishes and analyzes the dramatic and literary elements in the Koito festival of Tugen people of Baringo in Kenya. The study applies the theory of performance, to describe and analyze the festival. The study has also made use of qualitative research approach for data collection and analysis in communities of Tugen in Baringo County Kenya. I employed the use of interview, observation and actively participating in the Koito performance. Findings of this study affirm the existence of drama in Koito performance which is indigenous to African people. The study also assures its readers of the greater shift of Koito performance in the contemporary Tugen community. This is as a result of modernization and globalization.