The Strong Breed
The
Strong Breed is one of the best known plays by Wole
Soyinka. It is a tragedy that ends with an individual sacrifice for the sake of the
communal benefit. The play is centered on the tradition of egungun, a Yoruba festival tradition in which a scapegoat of the
village carries out the evil of the community and is exiled from the
civilization. Eman, the play's protagonist, takes on the role of "carrier", knowing it will
result in beating and exile. He does this to spare a young simpleton the same
fate. The ritual takes an unexpected turn as Eman flees. His pursuers set a
trap for him that results in his death.
The
play was first published in London in 1964 by Oxford University Press, and subsequently by Rex
Collings in 1971.
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