The Serpent of the swamp

 The people of the swamp believe animism.  The term animism is derived from the Latin word anima meaning breath on soul. Animism is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence.  Potentially, animism perceives all things animals planets, rocks revers, weather systems human handiwork and perhaps even words—as animated and alive.

As swamp suck people in, The whirlpool of ignorance, superstition and frustration continues to drag villagers deeper and deeper.  People living in village believe in superstitions, have traditional thoughts.

They are believe in  the Serpent god. The swamp people sacrifices the best ones of their production in order to pacify the serpent god so that they can yield a good harvest otherwise they might suffer from loss.

The Swamp Dwellers is a close study of the pattern of life in the isolated hamlets of the African countryside as well as an existential study of the simple folk who face religious of life without any hope or succor. Soyinka tears apart social injustice, hypocrisy and tyranny.

 

     The Swamp Dwellers reflects the life of the people of southern Nigeria. Their vocation mainly is agro based. They weave baskets, till and cultivate land. They believe in serpent cult. They perform death rites. They offer grain, bull, goat to appease the serpent of the swamp. Traders from city come there for crocodile skins. They lure young women with money. Alu withstands their temptation. Young men go to the cities to make money, to drink bottled beer. In fact the city ruins them. The Swamp Dwellers consummate their wedding at the bed where the rivers meet. They consider the river bed itself as the perfect bridal bed. Sudden flood ruin the crops throwing life out of gear.