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Elements of Performance in Sokoto's Digital Spoken Word: An Analysis of Stylistic and Performative Techniques in Kenyan Online Oral Literature
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Digital Oral Literature & Performance Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I11-1717962
Abstract
This study examines the elements of performance that Sokoto, a Kenyan spoken word artist, deploys in his digitally mediated oral literary productions. Drawing on performance theory and oral literature scholarship, the paper analyses eight key elements setting, sound and music accompaniments, actor-performer dynamics, vocal skills, lighting, repetition, gestures, body and vocal technique across a corpus of eighteen spoken word pieces shared on digital platforms. The study is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of performance studies and digital humanities, employing close textual and performative analysis as its methodological approach. The findings reveal that Sokoto integrates traditional oral performance conventions with the affordances of digital technology to construct immersive, aesthetically rich experiences for his online audience. The digitisation of spoken word does not diminish performative depth; rather, it reconfigures and amplifies the communicative and aesthetic functions of classical performance elements. The study contributes to the growing body of scholarship on African digital oral literature and demonstrates that spoken word in online spaces constitutes a legitimate, evolving genre deserving sustained academic attention.
Keywords
Spoken Word, Digital Performance, Oral Literature, Sokoto, Kenya, Performance Elements, Aesthetic Value
References
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How to cite this paper
@article{1717962,
author = {Dennis Wabuyaka Waswa},
title = {Elements of Performance in Sokoto's Digital Spoken Word: An Analysis of Stylistic and Performative Techniques in Kenyan Online Oral Literature},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {9},
number = {11},
pages = {3095-3103},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1717962.pdf},
abstract = {This study examines the elements of performance that Sokoto, a Kenyan spoken word artist, deploys in his digitally mediated oral literary productions. Drawing on performance theory and oral literature scholarship, the paper analyses eight key elements setting, sound and music accompaniments, actor-performer dynamics, vocal skills, lighting, repetition, gestures, body and vocal technique across a corpus of eighteen spoken word pieces shared on digital platforms. The study is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of performance studies and digital humanities, employing close textual and performative analysis as its methodological approach. The findings reveal that Sokoto integrates traditional oral performance conventions with the affordances of digital technology to construct immersive, aesthetically rich experiences for his online audience. The digitisation of spoken word does not diminish performative depth; rather, it reconfigures and amplifies the communicative and aesthetic functions of classical performance elements. The study contributes to the growing body of scholarship on African digital oral literature and demonstrates that spoken word in online spaces constitutes a legitimate, evolving genre deserving sustained academic attention.},
keywords = {Spoken Word, Digital Performance, Oral Literature, Sokoto, Kenya, Performance Elements, Aesthetic Value},
month = {May},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I11-1717962}
}