This question is based on Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel
Lakunle declines to pay bride price on Sidi because he sees tradition as
Answer Details
In Wole Soyinka's play The Lion and the Jewel, Lakunle declines to pay the bride price for Sidi because he perceives tradition, particularly in the form of bride price, as barbaric. Lakunle is depicted as a modernist character who embraces Western ideals and education. He believes that certain traditional practices, like the bride price, are outdated and irrational.
Lakunle views these customs as obstacles to progress and enlightenment. He argues that bride price reduces women to commodities that can be bought and sold, which he finds degrading and an affront to his ideals of equality and modernity. By refusing to pay the bride price, Lakunle attempts to differentiate himself from what he sees as the archaic customs of his society and strives to introduce new ways of thinking that he considers more civilized and progressive.