Theorising Yoruba Oral Aesthetic Philosophy: Towards an Indigenous Critical Theory

African oral literature has been studied primarily through the application of Western critical theories, yet the aesthetic principles embedded in Yoruba oral traditions constitute an independent philosophical system whose theorisation as an indigenous critical framework remains underdeveloped in the scholarly literature. This dissertation theorises Yoruba oral aesthetic philosophy by reconstructing a systematic indigenous critical theory from the aesthetic principles, evaluative criteria, and meta-performative commentary embedded in Yoruba oral performance traditions. Drawing on fieldwork-based collection and analysis of oral performances, aesthetic commentary, and practitioner knowledge from professional oral artists in Oyo, Ondo, and Osun States, the study identifies core aesthetic principles including ipa (impact), itan (narrative coherence), asayan (selection and arrangement), and aparo (contextual appropriateness) as the foundational categories of Yoruba oral aesthetic philosophy. The theoretical framework engages with African philosophy of art, indigenous knowledge theory, and literary aesthetics in productive dialogue with Yoruba practitioner expertise. Existing scholarship on Yoruba oral aesthetics has described individual performance traditions without developing an integrated philosophical framework. This dissertation makes an original contribution to African critical theory by systematising Yoruba oral aesthetic philosophy into a coherent theoretical vocabulary applicable for literary criticism and cultural analysis. Findings will demonstrate the coherence, sophistication, and cross-genre applicability of Yoruba indigenous aesthetic theory as a critical tool. Recommendations will address the integration of indigenous aesthetic theory into African literature curricula at the doctoral level. Keywords: oral aesthetic philosophy, Yoruba, indigenous critical theory, African philosophy, oral performance.