Evangelical Motifs in the Dramas of Austin Anigala

Wilson; Mumeya Fidelis

doi:10.56201/jhsp.vol.12.no10.2026.pg78.86

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Evangelical Motifs in the Dramas of Austin Anigala

Wilson, Mumeya Fidelis

Abstract

This article examines evangelical motifs in Austin E. Anigala’s Riddles of Life, The Living Dead, and Cold Wings of Darkness. Using qualitative literary research and close textual analysis, it considers how dialogue, characterisation, conflict, symbolism, and plot development represent Christian witness and spiritual change. The analysis identifies recurring motifs of warning, confrontation with sin, resistance, fear, syncretism, spiritual awakening, delayed decision, and redemption. In Riddles of Life, evangelism appears through Bini’s warnings and Enumah’s eventual recognition of the need for repentance. The Living Dead presents Christian witness as marginalised by fear and reliance on traditional spiritual protection, while Cold Wings of Darkness dramatises a conflict between Christian faith, scepticism, materialism, and destructive spiritual forces. Across the three plays, Anigala presents evangelism as a process that requires more than proclamation: it involves moral credibility, personal choice, and a willingness to confront social and spiritual contradictions. The article contributes to the study of Nigerian drama by showing how evangelical motifs function as both thematic concerns and dramatic devices.

Keywords

Austin Anigala; evangelical motifs; Nigerian drama; evangelism; Christian theatre; textual analysis

References

Anigala, Austine. Cold Wings of Darkness. Kraft Books, 2006. Anigala, Austine. The Living Dead. Kraft Books, 2006. Anigala, E. Austine. Riddles of Life: A Moral Play. Royal Peace Publications, 1996. Abrams, M. H., and Geoffrey Galt Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 9th ed., Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Baldick, Chris. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2008. Bosch, David Jacobus. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. Orbis Books, 1991. Brockett, Oscar G., and Franklin J. Hildy. History of the Theatre. 10th ed., Allyn and Bacon, 2008. Chatman, Seymour. Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. Cornell University Press, 1980. Davidson, Clifford, Martin Walsh, and Ton J. Broos, editors. Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays. Medieval Institute Publications, 2007. Green, Michael. “What Is Evangelism?” CORE, 1 Jan. 1984, https://core.ac.uk/outputs/155819573/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026. Kight, Chelsea. “What Is Evangelism?” Cru, https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/share- the-gospel/what-is-evangelism.html. Accessed 30 Mar. 2024. Nicoll, Allardyce. The Development of the Theatre: A Study of Theatrical Art from the Beginnings to the Present Day. Harcourt, Brace, 1966. Rimmon-Kenan, Shlomith. Narrative Fiction: Contemporary Poetics. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2002. Terry, John Mark. Evangelism: A Concise History. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994. Thompson, Stith. Motif Index of Folk Literature: A Classification of Narrative Elements in Folktales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Mediaeval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux, Jest Books, and Local Legends. Rev. and enlarged ed., Indiana University Press, 1955. Ferretter, Luke. Towards a Christian Literary Theory. PhD thesis, University of St Andrews, 1999. Research Repository, https://hdl.handle.net/10023/15232. Mills, Kevin. “Literature and Theology.” The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism, edited by Christa Knellwolf and Christopher Norris, vol. 9, Cambridge University Press, 2001, pp. 387–400. Morgan, James M. “How Do Motifs Endure and Perform? Motif Theory for the Study of Biblical Narratives.” Revue Biblique, vol. 122, no. 2, 2015, pp. 194–216. The Holy Bible. New International Version, Mark 16:15.

Evangelical Motifs in the Dramas of Austin Anigala

Abstract

Keywords

References

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