Myth, Spirituality, and Thought Patterns in Two African and Brazilian Ritual Dramas

Authors

• Dele Layiwola, University of Ibadan

Abstract

This essay conceptualizes and historicizes the phenomena of religion, custom, and belief systems by utilizing two celebrated dramatic texts and performances as practical illustrations of the complex roles they play in the social, political, and cultural lives of human beings, irrespective of their geographical locations. The arguments demonstrate that religion or spirituality is a given phenomenon in the personal and public lives of the denizens of various societies. It possesses its own logic and rules, which may not be mutually compatible, nevertheless constitute a constant universal principle. The paper employs dramatized examples to show that in classical or modern times, across different cultural perspectives or nationalities, this phenomenon plays the same psychological roles. This explains the emergence of syncretism, which we now view as a justification for multiculturalism in multinational and diasporic societies. The research is broadened and deepened to include multiple societies across historical periods or epochs, in space, as well as across disciplines. The profound cultural correspondences among mythologies testify to the fact that philosophies across human societies justify the application of multiple methodologies. The humanities imaginatively locate the links between our past, present, and the prospect of future and imagined communities, scientifically anticipated by our digital age.

Recommended Citation

Layiwola, Dele (2026) "Myth, Spirituality, and Thought Patterns in Two African and Brazilian Ritual Dramas," Global Africa: Journal of African and African Diaspora Studies: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/gajaads/vol1/iss1/6