A Professor of African Literature, Busuyi Mekusi, has called for the revival of the genre and the appropriation of its many positive functions and roles to solve societal, socio-cultural and politico-economic contradictions and ills.
He stated this on Tuesday, 23 September 2025, while delivering the 48th Inaugural Lecture of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, titled, The Danger of Forgetting: Afromorphs, Literature and Memory.
Prof. Mekusi posited that literature and literary works have therapeutic effect and could help heal wronged individuals and peoples because literary texts reflect the connection between the state of mind of an abused person and the configuring of the same personality by events of the past.
The inaugural lecturer added that literature in the form of pop culture and music could also be deployed as instruments to mitigate societal decadence, just as the sustenance of African oral traditional elements in written literature could be explored for the re-socialisation of youths.
In the words of Prof. Mekusi, ” Just like the way History as a subject has been treated, even much so that it was removed from the curriculum for some years, and only reintroduced in 2025, the many functions performed by literature have not been substantially appropriated, as the human race, particularly challenged and embattled postcolonial nations in the southern hemisphere, continue to be confronted by too many socio-cultural and politico-economic contradictions.
” It is suggested that literature should be intentionally centralised in Nigeria, Africa and globally as a therapeutic instrument for the healing of violated personal and collective psyches. This is more so as literary texts have variously reflected the connection between the state of mind of an abused person and the configuring of the same personality by the untoward experiences of the past, to become an aggressor, thereby initiating a despicable and debilitating chain.”
Prof. Mekusi further explained that the many written works and literary satire about national malaise such as bad governance, corruption, parlous infrastructure and institutional collapse, among other ills, should not be seen as outbursts of disgruntled elements or sadistic writers, but as homilies by sane and patriotic voices aimed at desirable national adjustments.
He also called on governments at all levels to ensure that approved and vetted texts focusing on African socio-cultural and political renaissance are read in schools, as the historical materials contained in them would contribute to the socialisation, education and orientation of students in order to create a better future.
Similarly, Prof. Mekusi urged stronger collaboration between universities and the private sector in Nigeria to ensure that ideas and prognoses from research works, inaugural lectures, theses and dissertations, and other academic avenues are harnessed to resolve some of the endemic problems confronting the nation.
He warned Nigerian and African writers to avoid the temptation of commercialising their works by popularising orientations and behaviours that assault the sensibilities of their societies, simply because of the desire to please foreign donors and sponsors.
He also added, ” Since literature remains the fulcrum of human imaginations, while in pursuit of the development of science and technology, governments at all levels in Nigeria and Africa should continue to support the development of literature, even digitally, to respond to contemporary realities, as it is central to eclectic human and societal developments.”
Speaking while introducing the lecturer, the Chairman of the event and Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, acknowledged the scholarly and administrative contributions of Prof. Mekusi to the growth and ranking of the institution.
