Postcolonial African Societies Research Articles

Courting The Id in Dystopian Fiction: A Freudian Study of J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace

This article explored the moral decadence in post-Apartheid South Africa and examined the injuries that such immorality had on the psyche of the post-apartheid South African woman. It further analysed the necessary shifts in perception and interpretation that depressed South African woman had to grapple with in the face of the immoralities that ensued and identified the new vision of self, art and the world which women invent to liberate themselves from the shackles of morally decay societies. From this perspective, the work anchors on the hypothesis that most post-colonial African societies build immoral societal boundaries which give room to high level of immorality, thus creating avenues for varied philosophies and new modes of survival. Written against the backdrop of Pyscho-Analytic theory, the work concludes that there is the dire need for the moralization and reconstruction of public institutions for mental stability and nation building.

Xenophobia in the context of African worldviews: A synopsis of the Nigerian situation.

This paper examines the phenomenon of xenophobia in Africa. The manifestation of xenophobia was explored within the tenets of the terror management theory which links existential concerns to the development of worldviews that help to make sense of life vagaries. We put forward that colonialism impacted the African worldview of collectivism and human connectedness and contributed to a worldview of the world as a dangerous place. The authors largely situate xenophobic attitudes of Africans toward Africans within the colonial experience which promoted ethnic discord and influenced the perception and receptivity toward strangers. The value of collectivism in pre-colonial and post-colonial African societies was compared to demonstrate the impact of colonialism. Furthermore, a synopsis of ethnic politics as a legacy of colonialism in Nigeria was provided. The authors conclude by emphasizing the importance of giving recognition to ethnic identity as one approach to managing xenophobic attitudes toward co-nationals in African countries.

Methodological Paradigms in Representing African Law: The Stratigraphic Approach and the Notion of Legal Pluralism

Abstract The contribution deals with the representation of African law in comparative legal literature. It aims at moving forward from an understanding of African legal systems as bounded entities, frequently dubbed “pluralistic” but too often described as derivative from western law, that is the law of the former colonial powers. The paper reacts to common representations of African law based on the “stratigraphic approach” and on the notion of legal pluralism. While remaining a valuable tool for the study of African legal systems in a structuralist fashion, the stratigraphic approach ultimately fails to capture the more dynamic dimension of legal relations and the agency of legal subjects better conveyed by the notion of legal pluralism. The notion of legal pluralism, in turn, points at the existence of plural normative orders in all legal systems, therefore it seems to have lost its specificity to post-colonial African societies. Moreover, research on legal pluralism has become progressively dominated by academic lawyers adopting a normative and theoretical approach with little regard for empirical observation of law in society.

Political Disillusionment and the Fine Line Between Independence and Neo-colonialism in Early Post-colonial Africa: A Literary and Historical Perspective from Senegal with Aminata Sow Fall

ABSTRACT Focusing on the role of the French empire in the emergence of political disenchantment in the early post-independance Francophone African society, this paper draws from Aminata Sow Fall’s literary texts La Grève des bàttu (1979) and L’ex-Père de la nation (1987) to examine the political history of Senegal. Analysing these texts, we highlight two key aspects in this political history: the continuous external influence and contemptuous complicity of the former colonial power in various aspects of governance in post-independent Francophone African countries, and the complicity of the post-colonial leaders whose limited conceptualisation and interpretation of independence create conducive conditions for disenchantment. I argue that these dynamic influences which impact the validity of independence in Senegal, also represent the reality of many francophone African societies. To foreground the arguments in this article, I shall employ the post-colonial theory which facilitates the understanding of the impact of imperialism on ex-colonies, and sociological criticism which articulates the relationship between these texts and the social realities of the society from whence they emanate, drawing out specific insights about how they align with the interpretation of the chosen literary sources. In conclusion, I proposed that a re-evaluation of the role of internal and external political players is needed for the advancement and genuine emancipation of post-colonial African societies.

Corruption and Decadence in Ayi Kwei Armah’s the Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born

The erosion of traditional moral standards is a predominant concern in representations of post-independence Africa. Characters frequently act in abhorrent ways as a way of expressing this worry. In The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born, Anyi Kwei Armah condemns the public's role in economic destruction and moral decay because almost everyone directly or indirectly aids corruption. Therefore, this study investigates moral decay, degradation, corruption, and filth in all spheres of postcolonial African society. The aim is to condemn the actions of postcolonial leaders who abuse the powers given to them in order to pursue their pecuniary interests. This study adopts postcolonial theory in its examination of our chosen text. It focuses on the literature of cultures that developed in response to British colonial dominance. The study concludes that there is a high prevalence of bribery, corruption, decay, and filth in African society, which has hampered development.

MIGRATED SOCIAL STRUCTURES, PREBENDALISM AND INSTABILITY IN PLURAL SOCIETIES: EXPERIENCES IN NIGERIA

Every society desires peace, cohesion, order, fairness, and stability. Without these, there would be no meaningful progress, and development. The quest for social order, in plural societies, therefore depends on the level of stability. Post-colonial African societies today are experiencing varying levels of instabilities which has hindered peace, and security. This paper therefore sought to examine the role of migrated social structures on the prevalence of prebendalism and instability in a plural society. Attempts have been made to understand the causes of these instabilities. Instabilities in post-colonial Africa resulted from cultural contact with Europeans. The objective of this paper is to examine the effects of migrated social structures on the prebendal behaviour and instabilities in plural societies like Nigeria. The prebendalist theory by Richard (1986) was used to anchor the arguments of this paper. This paper argues that as a way of stemming the growing prebendalism and instability in Nigeria, serious efforts should be made to encourage meritocracy and inclusiveness which would help reduce the incidences of instability occasioned by exclusionism and prebendalism which has led to ethnicity as different nationalities engage in unhealthy competition, rivalry, and lack of trust.

Indigenous Conflict Management and Contemporary Water Resource Governance in Rural Zimbabwe

Indigenous conflict management has been a key feature of pre- and post-colonial African societies in managing varied community disputes related to natural resources. In Zimbabwe, the Dare, the traditional court works similarly. However, there have been few insights on the effectiveness of indigenous community-based mechanisms in managing primary water conflicts. The paper argues that although there are widespread and varied water conflicts within the rural setting, the grassroots nature, combined with simple and clear procedures of the traditional court systems makes it a viable option in managing emergent primary water conflicts at the community level. There is a need to synchronise this indigenous community-based conflict management mechanism with the state-run judicial system. However, the operation of the indigenous conflict management mechanism within the framework of competitive African politics has made it vulnerable to political intrusions. Water governance, using traditional court systems would likely benefit from equal gender representation in the decision-making structures.

Journalism and the Representation of Truth in the Nigerian Postcolonial Literature

ABSTRACT The connections between literature and journalism have remained grounds of severe contestation. The arguments border on importance and availability of connections between literature and journalism. Both sides recognise truth as their subject. However, whereas literature tells truth by reinventing its environment (defamiliarisation), journalism tells truth as it is. Literature and journalism tell about oppressions humans face, especially in postcolonial African society where both are instruments of resistance against oppression. Journalists are exceptional writers who base their writing on discovery, establishment, and projection of the true nature of things around them. However, their assignment is not one with minimum worries. This paper combines the concepts and ideas of journalism and literary studies. It is possible because while some journalists live literature, others write literature in real life. Through the novels of former journalists, Okey Ndibe's Arrows of Rain and Helon Habila's Oil on Water, this paper will locate the place of journalists in postcolonial literary works. It will look at both novels, evaluating the contributions of journalists (and journalism) in their postcolonial societies and, through them, see the challenges that journalists encounter in their duties as the mouthpieces of the ordinary and voiceless individuals, especially during state-orchestrated oppression.

The Oral Artist and Oppositional Politics in Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman and Denja Abdullahi’s Mairogo

In the context of modern societies, criticism of political leadership is located within the framework of formalized, democratized organizations, movements, and rights groups. These are modern paradigms within which dissenting factions of society express contradictory perspectives of the policies, actions or inactions of the leadership. This article examines the role of the social critic which oral artists played in traditional African societies in two selected literary works: Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman (1975) (a play) and Denja Abdullahi’s Mairogo (2009) (a dramatic poem). It also investigates how the symbolism-rich oral aesthetics aid the criticism. This essay regards the role of the oral artist in the society as a viable model of opposition which can be synthesized with aspects of the modern model. This would produce an effective medium for the expression of opinions and dissents against constituted authorities in postcolonial African societies. This exploration is crucial as postcolonial African states continue to grapple with the challenges of stabilizing their polity within a western framework which breeds factional rivalries and conflict between competing parties. This article concludes that re-thinking and merging traditional and modern paradigms of opposition discourse is fundamental to postcolonial African states attaining the needed environment crucial to their socio-political and economic development.

OKONKWO TO ODILI: READING CHINUA ACHEBE’S HEROES POSTCOLONIALLY

The paper examines the situations and actions of Chinua Achebe’s four heroes, who stand as the epitomes of struggle in their society: Okonkwo, Ezeulu, Obi, and Odili from the first four novels of the author— Things Fall Apart (1958), Arrow of God (1964), No Longer at Ease (1960), and A Man of the People (1966). These heroes foreground the struggles of their clan people that are brought by the colonizer and the Nigerian ‘corrupt’ rulers in postcolonial time. This paper aims at applying six postcolonial theoretical approaches: Otherness, Ambivalence, Mimicry, Hybridity, Decolonization and Neocolonialism to analyse the time and tasks of the four heroes comparatively. Through the lens of ‘Otherness’, this study throws light on Okonkwo, who becomes an ‘Other’ in his clan because of colonial interventions. The paper examines Ezeulu’s role as an ambivalent protagonist along with his tragic ending. This study analyses critically the Mimicry and Hybridity exhibited by the third hero, Obi. Moreover, this paper shows the action of Odili as a decolonized intellectual who struggles against corruption in postcolonial African society. This study endeavours to explore how Achebe represents the perspectives of colonized people as well as the people of the neocolonial age by portraying the story of the four heroes.

THE POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE, ABUSES OF POWER AND THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC PREDICAMENT OF POST-COLONIAL AFRICAN STATES. THE DILEMMA OF POST-INDEPENDENT ZIMBABWE

Ponte Academic JournalMar 2021, Volume 77, Issue 3 THE POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE, ABUSES OF POWER AND THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC PREDICAMENT OF POST-COLONIAL AFRICAN STATES. THE DILEMMA OF POST-INDEPENDENT ZIMBABWEAuthor(s): Addmore T. Muruviwa ,Nono G. Tshabalala, Tapiwa G. MuruviwaJ. Ponte - Mar 2021 - Volume 77 - Issue 3 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2021.3.3 Abstract:From 1980 onwards, one of the fundamental challenges that have been experienced by many Zimbabweans like any other post-colonial African societies is the rampant abuses of power by the post-independence national bourgeoisie. With this in mind, this study was triggered by a need to directly address the abuses of power by post-independent Zimbabwe’s government and thus, the fundamental objective of this paper was an illustration of Frantz Fanon’s contribution on post-colonial African states in relation to post-independent Zimbabwe’s political and economic predicament. A qualitative research method was followed. The findings showed that regardless of the available prospects for post-independent Zimbabwe’s national-development, there was an authoritarian government that abdicated its responsibilities to the masses by assuming the role of a parasitic national bourgeoisie that facilitates continued extraction of raw materials and exploitation of both society and resources. The study concluded that, what lies at the centre of post-independent Zimbabwe’s political and economic predicament is deliberate choices by senior members within the ZANU-PF government who for a period of more than three decades has had enable the exploitation of both society and national resources at the expense of national-development. Beyond that, the paper provided recommendations for a better post-colonial society. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

A Social History of Parastatal Employees in Southern Benin, 1989–1990: Contesting Decline and Unemployment During “Africa’s Second Democratization”

AbstractThe huge parastatal sectors in postcolonial African societies interested sociologists in the 1970s and 1980s, but have never found a historical discussion – and the experience of change towards the democratization (eventually) has not yet been interpreted by historians. This study attempts to bring both elements together for the case of Benin, a country particularly shaken by massive economic decline, lay-offs and unemployment in the second half of the 1980s. It relies on an unusual and spectacular source, a series of petitions sent by workers and workers’ delegates to the presidential office of Mathieu Kérékou in 1989/90 (the presidential office partly added to these petitions whole dossiers of comments and correspondence with other authorities, i.e. ministerial directorates and the police). This analysis highlights how parastatal workers and their spokesmen tried to communicate about economic and social disaster with the authorities, how they protested and attempted to make claims about social norms and justice, and how they attacked “corruption”. I would hold that the cases studied cannot stand for a model of experiences, but they nevertheless represent a number of elements of a social history of decline: as well as protests and arguments, and views on the practice of petitioning, the discussion will also highlight individual trajectories that nevertheless exemplify, in my view, representative experiences and a history of daily life in Benin's parastatal sector. The interpretation also attempts to show how imminent democratization, through the creation of a National Conference in early 1990, changed the strategies and the context of workers’ protest. It includes a number of exemplary, and quite spectacular, cases of mismanagement and closing of parastatal companies, such as the Société Sucrière de Savè and SONICOG. I would think that the approach is unique so far for both Beninese and West African history.

Citizens’ accounts of police use of force and its implication for trust in the police

ABSTRACT Despite a wealth of literature covering police abuse of power and excessive use of force in the developed West, a major challenge in socio-legal literature is the paucity of empirical research that accurately assess the same constructs in post-colonial African society. The few existing studies have shown that the police in developing countries are more likely to abuse their powers and are largely not accountable to the public. The current study presents an important attempt to empirically assess what is known and what needs to be learned to better understand and prevent police abuse and the use of excessive force; and how the use of force variables influence trust in the police. Since there is no single, universally agreed-upon definition of police use of force, in this current study a context-specific constructs that are peculiar to police-citizen relations in Nigeria were adopted for the data analysis. The result confirmed that police abuse and the use of excessive force have negative effect on trust in the police. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Struggle to Liberate a Nascent Nation from the Corrupt Native Ruling Class and Create a Distinctive Postcolonial Identity: A Case Study of Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People

This paper investigates Achebe’s portrayal of postcolonial African society in his postcolonial novel A Man of the People with its societal struggles. A newly emerged native middle class played a somehow contradictory role as a social element in two different phases of colonialism, that is, colonial and postcolonial Africa. Initially, their discontent with the governance of colonial powers was principally voiced by this native class. However, the same social class reigned over these nascent African countries after independence. This privileged section of postcolonial native society replaced the ‘European’ masters in the native political power equation and kept intact the traumatic master-slave narrative of the colonial period. This research addresses the question of how Achebe is astounded by the degree of corruption, treachery and pretence of native politicians who governed the postcolonial African nations. It further expands on how Achebe, in this novel, puts in a conscious effort to create a distinctive African identity by eradicating these socio-political ills that were prevalent in postcolonial native society. A Man of the People depicts the disturbing influence of colonial experience on native people in postcolonial period and this paper aims to show how Achebe skilfully puts forward his belief in the role of national intelligentsia in the development of a new nation, as he thinks that it can significantly help in putting an end to this suppression of common men by creating a unique African identity across the world. Achebe’s belief that mass uprisings by native intellectuals could be the best way to free native countries of the postcolonial era from dishonest native politicians has been a major finding in this research paper, as this novel transpires.

S.N. Eisenstadt and African modernities: Dialogue, extension, retrieval

This article elucidates some connections and divergences between S.N. Eisenstadt’s work on multiple modernities and critical reflections on ‘African modernity’ presented by Africanist scholars. It argues that there is more cross-over between these discussions than is commonly thought when both are seen as parallel responses to the shortcomings of post-war modernization theory. Eisenstadt’s work can inform debates in African Studies concerning the effective power of tradition in postcolonial African societies, and on African interpretations of the ‘cultural programme’ of modernity. The article also discusses some weaknesses in Eisenstadt’s theorizing which arise from an extension of the multiple modernities framework to African societies, namely, an underappreciation of the various modalities of colonial imperialism and racialization, as well as the institutional constraints placed on postcolonial societal elites. It claims that these can be offset via a dialogue with the work of scholars in African Studies. Moreover, it is argued that the paradigm of multiple modernities can more satisfactorily shed light on African trajectories of modernity via the retrieval of tenets of Eisenstadt’s ‘heterodox’ modernization theory and work on post-traditionality, outlined in the 1960s and the 1970s, which include specific reflections on African societies.

The trickster as a semiotic figure for construing postcolonial experience: Kwakye’s “The Clothes of Nakedness”

This essay examines an instance of the use of folklore by writers in postcolonial African societies to problematize postcolonial systems in fiction. The essay discusses how Benjamin Kwakye exploits the trickster character as a semiotic figure to construe the themes of survival and social and economic insecurity in The Clothes of Nakedness. The features of the trickster deployed include the spider imagery and his webbing across geographical margins, the use of trickery and manipulation as survival and power-building strategies, and the role of the trickster as a “hero-scamp” and villain. Towards the end of the narrative, the trickster is removed from focalization, and villainous events he engineers are construed as happening in spite of him. He remerges at the end as the ubiquitous spider in whom all mysteries make sense. These strategies are related to postcolonial issues of corruption, socioeconomic marginalization, and international aid.

Dull compulsion or perceived legitimacy? Assessing why people comply with the law in Nigeria

Do people living in societies rife with police corruption comply with the law because they perceive police as legitimate or because of their feelings of endemic powerlessness (i.e., what Tankebe (2009) refers to as dull compulsion)? Prior studies have shown that compliance is driven primarily by perceptions that authorities and their laws are legitimate and entitled to be obeyed. Using cross-sectional survey data collected from Southwest Nigeria, this study found that perceptions of police effectiveness and procedural justice were related to Nigerians’ self-reported compliance with the law. Importantly, and unexpectedly, neither dull compulsion nor perceptions of police legitimacy were related to Nigerians’ self-reported compliance behaviour. The implications of these findings for policing in postcolonial African societies are discussed.

The Irony of ‘African Solidarity’ in Ousmane Sembene’s Mandabi

This paper deals with the misuse of the African traditional communal mode of living in modernizing post-colonial African societies that have been transformed by Western capitalism and individualism. In the impoverished community portrayed in Ousmane Sembene’s film Mandabi, this traditional communal mode of living, to which people refer in colloquial term as “African solidarity”, is ironically used as a means to meet one’s individualistic and selfish needs at the expense of others; thus, turning it into a factor of social and economic regression. Mandabi also unveils and suggests a new form of hybrid and productive solidarity that fits better African post-colonial nations that have been affected by Western capitalism and individualism.

Medium and Credibility in the African Novel: The Novelistic Vision of G.D Nyamndi and Blessed A. Njume

The post-colonial African novelist is committed beyond his/her art to a statement of value. Thus he is not interested in art for art’s sake. This study distances itself from Dan S. Izevbaye’s 1971 position for a ‘suppressed social reference’ in literary discourse. The post-colonial novelist believes that he must be socially committed in order to be universally engaged. In his/her novelistic vision, he/she questions the very foundation of the independence of most African nations. There is a consensus amongst African creative writers that the independence of most African countries is a sham because independence means self-determination. George D. Nyamndi in his The Sins of Babi Yar (2012) and Blessed Ambang Njume in his In a Web (2016) set out to bring out the visionary role of a committed writer and his moral obligation to his society. Using the medium of effective communication, the two novelists highlight corruption and the abuse of power as banes to socio-political development in Cameroon in particular and Africa as a whole. Using new historicism and the concept of socialist realism to interpret, evaluate and analyse the two novels under study, the paper explores and highlights the moral responsibility of a committed novelist in post-colonial African society. In this light, this study submits that the law courts, the judiciary, the military, the church and the educational systems in post-independent Africa are conduits and mechanisms for the propagation of neocolonialism and imperialism. Rev. Father Aaron in a Web and Justice Dan Mowena in The Sins of Babi Yar provide clear justifications for these social ills.

What Are the Lasting Impacts of British Colonization on Language Use in Postcolonial African Societies?

What Are the Lasting Impacts of British Colonization on Language Use in Postcolonial African Societies?