The Post-independece Anomaly in Africa focus on Legson Keyiras the Detainee and Amu Djelotos money Galore as Example
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Date
2010-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Post-independence Anglophone African novelists used their works not only to
reflect the hopes in their respective societies but also to attack the abuses that
nullified the hopes of their people right after the euphoria of independence. This is
applicable across East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, and Southern Africa.
This study investigates two novels The Detainee (Southern Africa) and Money Galore
(West Africa) by Legson Keyira and Amu Djeloto respectively within the framework
of the post-independence anomaly. These novels from many voices allow a glimpse
of different arenas affecting contemporary reality.
Structurally, the study is classified into four chapters. Chapter One deals with a
brief socio-historical background of Africa. As African literature exists in a
historical continuum, it is impossible to separate African literature from its history.
Thus, this part gives a cursory review of the historical matrices of Africa ranging
from pre-colonial to the post-colonial periods.
Chapter Two reviews some of the thematic trends of development in Anglophone
African novel like idealization of the past, protest against colonialism and post
independence disillusionment.
Chapter Three deals with the analysis of the selected novels separately with accent
on themes with which the writers are preoccupied especially how they explore the
post-independence anomaly of their respective countries in particular Africa in
general under the themes of the dashed hopes, corruption, dictatorship, ordeals of
intellectuals, cultural conflict and the representation of women.
Chapter Four recapitulates the comparative analysis of the selected novels. The
comparative approach reveals that these novels have an identifiable thematic
intertextuality and difference as well. In both novels, corruption, the intellectual
ordeals and dictatorship are portrayed though their way of portrayal is different.
Apart from this, these novels have noteworthy differences in the themes of cultural
conflict exclusive to The Detainee and women’s representation to Money Galore. The
findings of the study, in response to the thematic preoccupations of the novels,
corruption, ordeals of intellectuals, dictatorship, cultural conflict, the
representation of women are the causes that make the independence of Malawi and
Ghana in particular and Africa in general anomalous.
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Africa focus on Legson Keyiras