Analytical Study of the Research Gap in Oral Performance Theory in West African Scholarship

Oral performance traditions across West Africa constitute a rich domain of artistic practice that existing performance theory frameworks inadequately capture because they were developed primarily in Western theatrical contexts. This study analytically examined the research gap in oral performance theory within West African theatre scholarship through a systematic literature review and critical assessment. A systematic scoping review of nine academic databases identified 64 publications from 2018 to 2024 addressing oral performance in West Africa, of which only 11 offered theoretical frameworks explicitly grounded in West African oral epistemologies. Most studies applied Eurocentric performance theory to African oral forms without adequate critical reflection on framework appropriateness. Original primary research comprised structured interviews with 20 West African oral performance scholars from Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal, exploring gaps they identified in existing theoretical frameworks. Analysis revealed four critical gaps: the absence of a comprehensive oral performance theory addressing the ritualistic performance continuum, inadequate theorisation of the performer-audience-spirit triadic relationship, lack of attention to embodied knowledge transmission in oral performance lineages, and insufficient engagement with the political economy of oral performance in contemporary urban settings. The study proposes a preliminary West African Oral Performance Conceptual Framework as an original contribution and recommends focused research consortia between West African universities to develop the field.

Keywords: oral performance theory, West Africa, research gap, indigenous performance studies, theatre scholarship