International Journal of Current Research in Education, Culture and Society Vol. 5, Issue 1 - 2021 ISSN: 2581-4028 © Eureka Journals 2020. All Rights Reserved. Page 29 Sociological and Therapeutic Significance of Poetic Performance in Yoruba Contemporary Society Dr. Adekunle, Idowu James 1 1 Department of English and Literary Studies, Kola Daisi University, Ibadan, Nigeria. Abstract Poetry, as an oral literary genre, is an age-long tradition, the performance of which serves as a traditional medium of communication exchange. Its modality, aesthetics, entertainment and performance-styles are titillating narratives that give its audience nostalgic feelings of the socio-cultural past and contemporary socio-political realities. However, more scholarly attentions have not been adequately given to oral literary poetry in the area of its therapeutic significance and social criticism. This paper, therefore, discussed its therapeutic significance and social criticism of oral literary poetry by examining the Yorùbá contemporary oral literary poetry and other devices deployed by the poet with a view to determining the role of an oral artist as a social critic and therapist. Schechner’s Performance, Freudian and Jungian psychoanalytic theories were used to analyse poetic orature of the selected oral performer, OláńrewajuAdép̀oj̀ u. Three digital audio discs of live performance recordings of Oláńrewaju Adép̀oj̀u that were purposively selected were: Ewi´ Special and Mo Fẹsùn Kan O. The selected live recordings were based on the informing sociological realities, choice of satiric mode and performative styles. They were critically subjected to performance and literary analyses after being translated from Yorùbá to English. Keywords: Oral Poetry, Therapy, Performance, Social Criticism, Techniques. Introduction Oral poetry is an age-long tradition, the performance of which serves as a basis for communication exchange (Adekunle 2009, 2014, 2017). It is a part of everyday life among indigenous Africans and orally transmitted through the words of mouth (Oripẹloye 2017: 58). Poetrytakes into account, the historical achievements of ancestors whose lifestyles serve as a symbolic role model for the younger generations. It is also a speech actthat is accentuated and rendered alive by various gestures, social conventions and the unique occasion in which it is performed. It is also a discourse whose beauty of form and art of its articulation or recreation is orallyper formed (Akporobaro 2012: 4). To Ong, poetry is an artistic value of human