الإرث الثقافي في الأدب النيجيري: الجذور والتأثيرات

Abstract

: Nigerian literature reflects a rich cultural identity shaped by African oral traditions, mythology, and the lasting impact of colonialism. Drawing on folklore, proverbs, rituals, and communal storytelling, Nigerian writers have transformed oral heritage into modern literary forms while engaging critically with issues of identity, language, and modernity. This study examines how cultural heritage operates in Nigerian literature through three interrelated dimensions: oral tradition, colonial experience, and African mythology. Focusing on major figures such as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Ben Okri, the article analyzes how narrative techniques, language choices, and symbolic structures negotiate the tension between tradition and change. Oral storytelling practices inform narrative patterns, colonialism reshapes cultural consciousness and linguistic expression, and mythology provides a symbolic framework for reinterpreting social and political realities. Rather than viewing tradition and modernity as oppositional, Nigerian literature presents cultural heritage as a dynamic force continually reimagined. Thus, literature becomes both a site of resistance and a creative space for redefining African identity in a globalized world.