ABSTRACT: This research work exposes the Socio-Cultural Conflict and Political Disillusionment in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s Petals of Blood. The study shows that the poor have remained unsatisfied, full of disillusionment, suffering and oppressed as a result of the promises the leaders made to them. In A Man f the People for instance, Achebe exposes the various socio-cultural conflicts and political disillusionment in the politics of Chief Nanga who promised his people during his visit at Anata Grammer school by providing, pipe bone water, good road network and employment to the masses but he failed when he got into power by using the government money in building mansions and chasing women around. Achebe uses the above mentioned character as a man of the people who is disillusioned by his people who voted him into power.
Socio-Cultural Conflict and Political Disillusionment in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s Petals of Blood
In Petals of Blood, Ngugi portrays the socio-cultural conflict and political disillusionment as a problem faced by the poor Kenyans. This conflict started as Munira, Karega, Wanja and Abdulla are indiscriminately arrested and tortured by the police for the death of two prominent Kenyans businessmen and one educator who are killed in a fire incident as a result of political conflict. The study therefore recommends that, literature should be a compulsory subject for all Nigerian students because it mirrors the events, incidents and episode of every society and it would also serves as an avenue 1or eradicating immoral and political crisis in every society of Africa.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Socio-cultural conflict and political disillusionment are issues that have been affecting many African societies today. This is why Chinua Achebe of Nigeria and Ngugi Wa Thiongo of Kenya used their novels as literary tools to fight against cultural conflict corruption, political conflict, political disillusionment, the effects of Mau-Mau rebellion exploitation discrimination and oppression of the British-rule in Nigeria and Kenya during her independence. In A Man of the People for instance, Achebe uses Chief Nanga as a Nigerian politician who resort to all kinds of corrupt means using the government funds that is meant for the masses for his selfish interest. He maintained that within a few years of independence, Nigeria under Black hegemony urns into a cesspool of corruption and misrule. The novel portrays the political disillusionment in post independent Nigeria and also explores the conflict of corruption, exploitation and social injustice in the Nigerian society and the acquisition of material wealth by crooked means. The novel further explores the predicament of the people of Nigeria in the political and socio-cultural context.
On the other hand, the Kenyan novelist, Ngugi Wa Thiongo uses literature as a form of communication and expression to conscientise and assist in bringing liberty to the oppressed Kenyans by showing his commitment to the struggle against neo-colonialism and capitalism. The situation in Kenya alter its independence according to Ngugi seems not to be conducive to all Kenyans apart from those few who are the ruling elites. In relation to the exploitative regime in Kenya, the novelist advocates a change in his native country that has been subjected to various forms of sulfuring socio-political conflict and political disillusionment.
From the foregoing, Achebe and Ngugi’s writings examine Nigeria and Kenya from the perspective of political conflict and disillusionment. Their desires is to see their country as a place where the institutions of governance can guarantee good health, housing, 1ood, quality education, fairness, justice and security. It is on this trajectory strewn with economic mismanagement, ethnicity, cultural devaluation, moral decrepitude and political potholes that the background to this study sought to examine the socio-cultural conflict and political disillusionment in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s Petals of Blood.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Achebe and Ngugi believed that Nigeria and Kenya are African countries that have suffered cultural conflict and political disillusionment after their independence. According to them, their countries started by the colonisers from whom the neo-colonisers inherited it. Ngugi for instance uses Peals of Blood as a weapon to deal with Kenyan problems at all levels.
He presents the theme of Kenya s neo-colonial elitism and its deceptiveness that refers to the colonial and post-colonial periods in the novel more than in most of his other works that have been published so far. He uses different characters and their roles to bring to light the class divisions, class struggles and culture alienation that are taking place within the Kenyan society because of the influence of the past western colonizers.
Socio-Cultural Conflict and Political Disillusionment in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s Petals of Blood
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this research project is to expose the socio-cultural conflict and political disillusionment in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of The People and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s Petals of Blood.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This research project is significant to the reader of this work, students of Literature and English as a whole as the work will enlighten them more on the root causes of socio-Cultural conflict and political disillusionment in Nigeria and Kenya. The study will also be important to Literature writers and they would find this research project significant.
