THE AFRICAN NOVEL AS A POLITICAL MANIFESTO

THE AFRICAN NOVEL AS A POLITICAL MANIFESTO

Abstract:

Our proposition is that literature is all about politics and literary writers, like all other artists, are partisans who try to persuade their audiences to take sides with them in maintaining or changing power relations in line with, and on behalf of, the interests of certain classes in the society. In this sense, the African novel, as represented by selected writings of Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong’O, can be regarded as a powerful and effective medium for the dessimination of political manifestos which condition people to act in defence of, or in opposition to, certain forms of the distribution of power in the society. Our findings indicate that Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong’O present in their novels two contrasting, but partisan, manifestos. Achebe’s political manifesto is a bourgeois-nationalist and reformist one, which insists that it is possible to have in Nigeria (and, implicitly, the rest of Africa) an efficient, working, capitalist system which could provide for all and take the country to greatness, so long as it is led by a well-educated, decent and responsible elite. Our analyses, however, indicate that Achebe’s political platform is untenable because it fails to address the contradictions in the social relations of production, exchange and distribution which are at the roots of the country’s problems of exploitation, domination and underdevelopment. Ngugi, on the other hand, presents in his novels a more persuasive and powerfully argued proletarian manifesto which indicates that the neocolonial capitalist system of exploitation and domination in Africa is diseased and dying, and the neo-colonial ruling classes presently in charge are not only incapable of creativity and industry, they cannot visualise any future for their countries and peoples beyond their own stomachs and pockets. The way forward to a free, just, productive and creative Africa is, therefore, according to Ngugi, through the organised struggle of workers and other oppressed classes to overthrow neocolonialism and the system of imperialist exploitation and domination which it represents. Our findings thus demonstrate that the African novel is a rich data source which can usefully complement the African political scientist’s conventional data sources as well as contribute new information and correct biases in existing knowledge.

THE AFRICAN NOVEL AS A POLITICAL MANIFESTO

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