Inhumanity in Nigerian War Plays

Nigeria is the most diverse country in sub-Saharan Africa. Sadly enough, the poor management of this diversity has led to series of conflicts and destructions which have become ugly characterising features of the country until today. Given that literature captures human experiences, the said conflicts and destructions have gained expression in Nigerian plays centred on war which depict different dimensions of inhumanity. Therefore, this essay aims to examine the representation of inhumanity in few Nigerian war plays. The significance of the study is to provide yet another treatise for teachers, students and researchers of African and Nigerian literature, particularly drama to engage the subject of war which is recurrent in all genres of African/Nigerian literature. The study will be underpinned by Sigmund Freud's dialectical concepts of ‘eros’ and ‘aggression.’ The finding shows that wars provide an avenue for humans to express the residing bestiality in them which neither civilization nor religion has been able to completely banish. The study concludes that the rationale for wars cannot justify the barbarity witnessed during wars; hence the need for civil means of settling conflicts.