DefinePK

Abstract

Two poems by Akeen Lasisi are examined in this study, Àsàbí Alákàrà’ and “Ekun Ìyàwó”. Akeem Lasisi’s poetry performance is orchestrated directly on stage through the deployment of a rich blend of actors, singers, dancers, and drummers. Lasisi also adds the comic trope of satiric banter. The comedic embellishment is used by Lasisi to revolutionize the Yoruba oral performance in English. By adopting video, Lasisi progresses from “written orality” into contemporary “digital orality”. In conclusion, Akeem Lasisi presents unwritten performed poetry, conceived as “performance actual”, using digital platforms. Through these, he injects unique enactive styles that transform the Yoruba oral performance poetic tradition and also ensure its continuity.