A Professor of African Literature, Busuyi Mekusi, has called for the revival of African literature and the appropriation of its numerous positive functions to address societal, socio-cultural, and politico-economic contradictions.
He made the call on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, while delivering the 48th Inaugural Lecture of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, titled The Danger of Forgetting: Afromorphs, Literature and Memory.
Prof. Mekusi argued that literature and literary works possess therapeutic value, capable of healing wronged individuals and societies, as texts often mirror the connection between the mental state of an abused person and the shaping of that personality by past events.
He added that popular culture and music could be deployed as tools to check societal decadence, while sustaining African oral traditions in written forms could help in the re-socialisation of the youth.
Drawing parallels with History, which was removed from Nigeria’s curriculum for years before its reintroduction in 2025, Prof. Mekusi lamented that the vital roles of literature have not been fully embraced, especially in postcolonial nations in the southern hemisphere grappling with endless socio-cultural and political challenges.
He therefore urged that literature be intentionally centralised in Nigeria, Africa, and across the world as a therapeutic instrument for the healing of violated personal and collective psyches. According to him, literary texts demonstrate how victims of abuse could, if not healed, become aggressors, thereby perpetuating a damaging cycle.
Prof. Mekusi also stressed that written works and literary satire addressing national ills such as bad governance, corruption, infrastructural decay, and institutional collapse should not be dismissed as the rants of disgruntled elements, but rather regarded as homilies by patriotic voices seeking genuine national reform.
He further called on governments at all levels to ensure that vetted texts highlighting African socio-cultural and political renaissance are adopted in schools, as their historical materials would aid the education, orientation, and socialisation of students toward building a better society.
In the same vein, he advocated stronger partnerships between universities and the private sector in Nigeria to harness ideas and findings from research, inaugural lectures, theses, and dissertations in tackling the country’s endemic challenges.
Prof. Mekusi cautioned African writers against commercialising their works in ways that promote behaviours or orientations that undermine societal values in order to please foreign donors and sponsors.
He added that since literature is central to human imagination and societal development, Nigerian and African governments must continue to support its growth—including in digital forms—alongside advances in science and technology, to adequately respond to contemporary realities.
The Chairman of the event and Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Prof. Olugbenga Ige, commended Prof. Mekusi for his scholarly and administrative contributions to the growth and rising profile of the institution.
