Literature

Text 1

A Man for All Seasons

Robert Bolt · African Literature text for SSCE

A Man for All Seasons (1960) by Robert Bolt is a historical drama play set in 16th-century England under King Henry VIII. It dramatizes the conflict between Sir Thomas More's unwavering integrity and the king's demand for obedience regarding the Act of Supremacy and royal divorce. The play employs the Common Man as a chorus-like narrator and servant to highlight themes of conscience versus power. Originally a radio play (1954), it was adapted for stage (1960) and film (1966). It is studied in SSCE curricula as a classic of English drama exploring moral courage, hypocrisy, and the supremacy of personal conscience.

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Text 2

An Inspector Calls

J.B. Priestley · English Drama / Twentieth-Century Literature

An Inspector Calls is a famous 1945 stage play by English dramatist J.B. Priestley. Set in 1912 in the fictional industrial city of Brumley, it examines the affluent Birling family, whose comfortable celebratory dinner party is abruptly interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious police inspector investigating the suicide of a young working-class woman named Eva Smith.

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Text 3

Antony and Cleopatra

William Shakespeare · African Poetry / Elizabethan Drama (Set partly in North Africa)

Antony and Cleopatra is one of William Shakespeare's great Roman tragedies, deeply rooted in historical geopolitics, spanning the Roman Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt. It explores the passionate, destructive, and politically dangerous love affair between Mark Antony, one of the triumvirs of Rome, and Cleopatra, the exotic Queen of Egypt.

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Text 4

The Marriage of Anansewa

Efua Sutherland · African Drama / Literature

The Marriage of Anansewa is a celebrated African comedic-satirical play that adapts traditional Akan storytelling techniques. It follows the cunning protagonist, Kweku Ananse, who attempts to lift himself out of poverty by marketing his beautiful, educated daughter, Anansewa, to wealthy chiefs.

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Text 5

Once Upon an Elephant

Bosede Ademilua-Afolayan · African Drama / Socio-Political Literature

Once Upon an Elephant is a socio-political allegorical play by Bosede Ademilua-Afolayan inspired by traditional Yoruba oral aesthetics, specifically the folktale of the proud elephant tricked to its death by the cunning tortoise. Set in an unnamed traditional Yoruba village, the play dramatizes the perils of dictatorial leadership, political manipulation, greed, and the eventual triumph of collective resistance against tyranny.

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Text 6

Path of Lucas: The Journey He Endured

Susanne Bellefeuille · African Literature text for SSCE

Path of Lucas: The Journey He Endured (2017) is a Canadian autobiographical novel by Susanne Bellefeuille, a graduate of Social Work and a strong advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. The story is a fictionalised account of her own family experiences, including teenage pregnancy, depression, mental health struggles, poverty, and the sacrifices made by her father Lucas during his wife Isabelle’s illness. It is studied in SSCE Nigerian schools as a text on resilience, family trauma, self-discovery, and the power of human connection.

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Text 7

Redemption Road

Literature

Study this prescribed Literature text and practise examination questions.

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Text 8

So the Path Does Not Die

Pede Hollist · African Literature text for SSCE

So the Path Does Not Die is a contemporary Nigerian play by Pede Hollist, a leading voice in contemporary African drama. It explores themes of identity, family loyalty, tradition versus modernity, and the moral cost of silence. The play follows the story of a young man who returns home to confront the secrets of his father’s past during the Nigerian Civil War era. It is widely studied in Nigerian secondary schools as a text on the weight of history, reconciliation, and the importance of speaking truth.

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Text 9

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee · African Literature text for SSCE

To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age novel by Harper Lee, published in 1960. Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Great Depression, it is narrated by Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch as she looks back on important events from her childhood. Through Scout's experiences, the novel examines racism, social injustice, class prejudice, moral courage, empathy, childhood innocence and the loss of innocence. The story is particularly concerned with the unjust trial of Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of assaulting Mayella Ewell. It also follows the children's changing understanding of their mysterious neighbour, Arthur 'Boo' Radley. The title comes from Atticus Finch's lesson that it is a sin to harm innocent people who do no wrong.

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Text 10

The Lekki Headmaster

Literature · Literature

The Lekki Headmaster is a contemporary Nigerian literary work centred on Bepo Adewale, the headmaster of Stardom Schools in Lekki. The work explores school life, leadership, education, family, relationships, migration and the social pressures experienced by Nigerians, particularly the desire to leave the country in search of better opportunities.

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