MIRROR ON SELECTED AFRICAN WRITERS

SOME AFRICAN WRITERS AND THEIR SOCIETY IN BRIEF

It is strongly believed that literature and other works of art are products of human societies. One is therefore expected to evaluate or appreciate a literary work by looking at those reflections of the societies in a given literary work. Most of the human actions in a given society whether political, social, cultural, economical, religious or geographical are showcased in literary compositions and other forms of art such as music, paintings and drawings as well as photographing. It is not only in autobiographies and biographies that human actions and practices are imitated or enacted, a satire or a face may also x-ray vices to correct such dirty practices, apart from denouncing and ridiculing them. After reading a text a poem or watching a film or even looking at a piece of painting, one should be able to match the content with what is happening in one’s immediate and remote environments. In a practical term, a good literary appreciation does not just come on its own. It has to be worked out. For instance, it is necessary to read a given material at least twice. The first reading will help the reader to get familiar with the story and to have general scope of the writer’s idea in mind. After the first reading, there should be a brief pause for the reader to think about what the story is all about, the people concerned, place(s) mentioned in the story and when the story happened. The second reading is more serious or critical. The reader is expected to identify difficult words and expressions in the text material and use a good dictionary to find out their meanings. A reader is also expected to fish out figures of speech that are used by poet, especially in poetry. Examples of Relationship between Literary Work and the Society: Our emphasis here is on literature not because it is the only literary work but because it can be accessed by all and sundry.

1. Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel x-rays cultural conflict between African and European culture. The negative attitude of our so-called educated Africans towards their negative culture and traditions as represented by the character traits of Lakunle.

2. Also in another play titled A play of Giants, Wole Soyinka examines power abuse, corruption and disloyalty which most African leaders represent. The rogues, cruel leaders of Africa who are supposed to be called vandals are described as giants. What an irony of the highest order!

3. Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah denounces the militarization of the African states, hardship caused by dictatorial governments, bribery and corruption in the black continent.

4. Festus Iyayi’s Violence is concerned with the inequalities between the poor and the rich, especially the exploitative tendencies of the rich over the poor. The poverty that takes over African communities, the corruption among government officials and injustices in the land are some of the issues discussed in Violence.

5. Robert Bolt’s A man for all seasons discusses moral decadence in an established human society and the suffering of honest people. The trial and prosecution of a faithful man called Thomas More by a group of selfish and unscrupulous individuals, acting on the orders of a dictatorial and devilish king, is a common practice not only in European society but also in Africa and elsewhere in the world.

6. J.P. Clarks’s The Wives Revolt centres on the belief that gender equality is attainable and desirable in human societies.

7. David Diop’s “Loser of Everything” examines the happiness of the traditional African society before the arrival of the colonialists and the hostility that follows the coming of the “bekes”, the colonial lords.

8. The subject-matter of Abubakar Gimba’s Witnesses to Tears is the evils of materialism like Oliver Goldsmith’s She stoops to conquer which displays chaotic value system as its general picture

9. George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a typical example of a political satire that exposes epitome of power abuse and the strong fact that there is social stratification in various human societies. The fact remains; there is no society where everyone is equal

10. Kwesi Brew’s “The Executioner’s Dream” is an attack on the abominable causes of ritual murder in traditional African societies

11. Sly Cheney Coker condemns the hatred, discrimination and conflicts in Africa. The Africans who bleach or copy white man’s culture at the expense of African ways of life are in addition condemned in “Freetown” one of his popular poems.

12. Niyi Osundare’s “They too are the earth” captures the pathetic condition of different classes of the underprivileged and the oppressed people of the world. The poet demands whether the rich who squander and destroy the earth and its resources are indeed people of the earth

13. Olu Obafemi’s “Do-gooders”is a whip on many insincere religious leaders who hypocritically enrich themselves at the expense of their weak, poor and ignorant followers.

14. In Fragments, Ayi Kwei Armah points out the corruption in the polity of a given society. As a case study, one cannot get a job in Ghana without offering a bribe! Corruption is in fact, the bane of many African States.

15. Femi Ademiluyi’s “The New Man” proves that over ambition and situation can change a man from his initial holy nature to becoming a rogue, murderer, a crook or hard criminal that terrorizes the entire state. Hello! The list is unlimited.

In addition, soap operas such as “Super Story,” “Checkmate,” “This Life,” and “Behind the Clouds” which picture societal problems are examples of literary art that we are talking about.

However, what we attempt to do is just to underscore the fact that literature and other works of art are products of societies and they are mirrors by which one can see various human societies. In conclusion, the understanding of a writer’s diction, imagery, symbolism, plot, mood/tone and his narrative approach will help anyone to discover the writer’s motives, intentions and themes as well as to identify the rapport between such literary work and the society that produces it.

RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN OLU- OBAFEMI'S "DO-GOODERS"

The Picture of Religious leaders in Olu- Obafemi’s “DO- GOODERS”.

In this poem, Olu- Obafemi, a senior lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Department of Dramatic Arts condemns the deceitful nature of most of our religious leaders, who live big at the expense of their poor and ignorant but devoted followers.

The religious leaders are painted as hypocrites. They deceive their adherents by asking them to close their eyes against the “things” of this world while the so- called Pastors, Imams, Aladuras and the Dibias or the Babalawos open their own eyes towards the luxuries of this life.

For instance, the shameless religious leaders enjoy the better part of life such as palatable food, expensive cars and houses, while their followers live in abject poverty (the bloated stomachs… of sprawling skeletons).

The religious leaders “chew the flesh” but their unsuspecting followers battle with bones!

The principal lesson from this poem is the urgent need to fight against the excesses of fake religious leaders who are rather called by their belly.

In an angry tone enveloped by a sad mood, the poet suggests a total elimination of these self-centred religious leaders when he says:
“Must be tied to stakes,
Blazed in flames and flakes.”

The question now is : “What kind of a religious leader are you? “
- A true servant of God or a swindler?

RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN OLU- OBAFEMI'S "DO-GOODERS"

The Picture of Religious leaders in Olu- Obafemi’s “DO- GOODERS”.

In this poem, Olu- Obafemi, a senior lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Department of Dramatic Arts condemns the deceitful nature of most of our religious leaders, who live big at the expense of their poor and ignorant but devoted followers.

The religious leaders are painted as hypocrites. They deceive their adherents by asking them to close their eyes against the “things” of this world while the so- called Pastors, Imams, Aladuras and the Dibias or the Babalawos open their own eyes towards the luxuries of this life.

For instance, the shameless religious leaders enjoy the better part of life such as palatable food, expensive cars and houses, while their followers live in abject poverty (the bloated stomachs… of sprawling skeletons).

The religious leaders “chew the flesh” but their unsuspecting followers battle with bones!

The principal lesson from this poem is the urgent need to fight against the excesses of fake religious leaders who are rather called by their belly.

In an angry tone enveloped by a sad mood, the poet suggests a total elimination of these self-centred religious leaders when he says:
“Must be tied to stakes,
Blazed in flames and flakes.”

The now is : “What kind of a religious leader are you? “
- A true servant of God or a swindler?

FESTUS IYAYI'S "VIOLENCE" AS A SATIRE

FESTUS IYAYI’S" VIOLENCE "AS A SATIRE

A satire is a literary composition which exposes the follies and vices of a given society by ridiculing such bad practices with the principal aim of correcting them.

Violence is not only a satire on the government and its agencies but also on general human dirty engagements. For instance, the sharp gap between the poor and the rich was x-rayed through the drama performed in the hall of the hospital, which as a matter of fact is a common practice in Nigeria.

In Chapter Twenty-one, Civil Servants/Government functionaries drink and talk about the high cost of living and how quick and big money can be made. This is another way Festus Iyayi implicitly expose an ugly trend in most African States especially Nigeria since the environmental setting of the story, Violence is Benin City in Edo State, South – South Nigeria.

Going to the people’s discussion at Freedom Motel, it is obvious that their orientation is extremely poor. They believed the best way to make quick fat money is by stealing it from the public treasury and of-course the government induces the act of looting.

The moral bankruptcy as illustrated through unguided and senseless sexual engagements of Obofun family satirizes immorality and moral decadence in our society.

The attitude of the Nurses towards their patients in the story and the unlimited opportunities the police created for themselves to extort the docile public through harassment, brutality and pretences are indices of satire.

The novelist, exposes the injustice in our system. The case of Papa Jimoh who was locked up for three days in a cell for committing no offence and was not compensated by his employers is a textual example.

High handedness in marriage is also satirized. In this century that everybody calls for gender equality, many African men still treat their wives as if they (wives) were objects bought with their money. See how Idemudia’s father beats his wife almost to death just for telling him to go to the Police Station so that his son could be released by the Police. With this, Iyayi is writing to correct the unhealthy male chauvinism or domination in our society.

The ability of the writer to expose the imbalances between the poor and the rich, the exploitative nature of the rich, the corruption in the system and moral decadence among our people are proofs that Festus Iyayi’s Violence is a social cum political satire.