Trevor Mukholi

When considering Okot p’Bitek’s perspective on African tradition, it becomes evident that change is inevitable. If African tradition is lived in the midst of the battle of life, then Lawino is not the character to focus on, as she refuses to acknowledge the possibility of change. Similarly, Ocol negates everything about himself to accommodate the other, but his transformation is ultimately revealed to be superficial. Opio and Clementine, however, require a more nuanced examination, as their experiences shed light on the agency of individuals in this exchange of aesthetics and epistemology.