Socio-political problems in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again and Tess Onuweme’s The Reign of Wazobia

Socio-political problems in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again and Tess Onuweme’s The Reign of Wazobia

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1                   Background to the Study

Ola Rotimi and Tess Onuweme are Nigerian male and female writers that use literature as a gate way to portray the society on the issues of socio-political, economic, religion and corruption affecting the society. Their writings are vanguards of social change in their respective capacities keeping watchful eyes and attentive ears on the happenings in the society. They belong to Nigerian most influential writers whose writings also examine the issues of social and political injustices in the society of Nigeria. This, perhaps make Chinua Achebe to posits that “any writer who tries to avoid the big social and political questions of his time will end up being completely, irrelevant to his society” (3).

Ola Rotimi and Tess Onuweme are radical playwrights whose works show the level of injustice, socio-political conflicts, power corruption and other forms of malpractices and moral decadence in contemporary society that have got to where the art of speaking with the ‘tongue in the cheek’ on the stage alone is no longer enough, but rather demands an urgent and more direct representation for an immediate social reform.

Looking at Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again, Rotimi paints a picture of Nigeria as a country ready for political exploitation. He also depicts the cultural and traditional socio-political problems such as; the danger and problem of polygamy, wife inheritance, uneducated political leaders and selfishness of leaders, using the character of Lekoja-Brown a typical Nigerian politician who is portrayed as a charlatan rather than a patriot. While in The Reign of Wazobia, Onuweme portrays the cultural and traditional socio-political conflicts, power struggle and powerlessness in her female character Wazobia who makes an attempt to strike a balance between both sexes in the kingdom.

Omu the women leader, lampoons how Wazobia rebels against the customs of her people and also expresses concern over the undignified position of women in her society, a situation which most modern female scholars view as an act of injustice meted to women in most African societies as portrayed by the author.

It is in view of this socio-cultural problems that this background examines the socio-political problems in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband has Gone Mad Again and Onuweme’s The Reign of Wazobia, with its aims of bringing transformation and eradicating  the situation  that has grown perennially worse in the country.

1.2                   Statement of the Problem        

Ola Rotimi and Tess Onuweme propose in their writings that the issue of socio-political problems, political dislocation power and political disillusionment of the masses are the causes of Nigerian’s backwardness.

Their writings portray a clear picture of the socio-political and economic situations of Nigeria and how the leaders led off the inevitability of change in the scheme of things in the country over the consequences of socio-economic and political situations in county. Therefore, the project will expose these socio-political and economic problems and proffer solution to them.

1.3     Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this research work is to examine the issue of socio-political problems in Ola Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again and Tess Onuweme’s The Reign of Wazobia. The study also will bring to light the consequences of negative and obnoxious socio-political problems in the Nigerian society.

1.4     Significance of the study   

This research work will be of immense significance to the entire Nigerian leaders to provide solution on the issues affecting the masses.

The study will also be of great importance to students of English and literature to enable them knows the effects and implications of political corruption, socio-economic and political conflict in Nigeria. Lastly, this study is of great importance to researchers who can use this work as a reference material.

Originally posted on April 22, 2021 @ 1:45 pm