Intertext Between Okot p.Bitek's Song of Lawino and Acoli Oral Songs

Abstract

Abstract

Acoli traditional songs play important roles in the rites of passage including events in the socioeconomic and religious calendar of the Acoli. The forms and themes of the songs are determined by the occasion and the central personalities who are often the subjects of the songs. There are three dominant forms of songs: pak – praise; ngala-satire and par/peko-lament. In stylistic classification, the song sub-genres fit into one of the forms. For example, a ‘spirit possession song’ can be: a praise, satire or lament. In Acoli taxonomy, songs are classified according the situation of their performance. Praise songs can be positive or negative. In positive praise songs, the composer-singer ‘heaps’ praises on the subject/object while negative praise songs often take the form of satire and they are classified as satirical songs which are, according to Horace, are either comical or tragical. Throughout Song of Lawino (1966), Lawino uses one of the three forms The Acoli oral songs that Okot used as intertext in Song of Lawino are drawn from some the songs he collected. Some are published with parallel English translations in Horn of My Love (1974). This Paper discusses the intertext between Okot’s Song of Lawino and Acoli oral songs. The purpose of this Paper is to contribute to the study on Okot’s poetic writings with specific reference to intertextuality in Song of Lawino,