CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Recently, the African writers have been conversant with the thematic preoccupations of oppression and revolt as reflected in the African society. Many African writers have written productively on the socio-political vices in the African society. This writing includes the fight against injustice, gender, social and religious violence, oppression and subjugation in the society. This kind of writing has been tagged protest literature. Due to the Most of these writings appear in different genres as inspired by the writers. Recently, drama has enjoyed a good number of patronages when it comes to satirizing socio-political decadences experienced in most African communities (Malik, 2011). Poetry, due to its concise form and precision, has also recorded huge success as a tool of social criticism (Mohd, 2014). This study is deeply concerned with the critical analysis of African plays which treat relevant themes about oppression and revolt in the African society. Looking at the historical background of Africa, most nations started gaining their independence after all fought battles and wars had long gone past. Everyone would want to presume or assume a bright and promising future for African nations, after independence, especially, that of Nigeria and Cameroun being the scope of this study but the reverse is the case. As it were, most African nations such as Nigeria and Cameroun, through the help of gallant heroes who fought for their independence, have become a force to reckon with in the African continent. The only cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabrics of this nation is the corrupt mind which her leaders have towards governance. This has, therefore, triggered the various write-ups from prolific writers whose works are strong enough to change the tune of music in the societal realm. Tess Onwueme and Bole Butake are not left out of the scene of mockery and cry against societal decadence. In most African plays, satire has been the most viable tool adopted in criticism of socio-political menace in communities where moral decadence and political vices are evident (Oginni, 1996).
Different scholars have viewed satire in different ways. For instance, Daniel (2016) sees satire as a genre of literature in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government or society itself, into improvement. The definition captures that the aim of satire is criticism and ‘ridicule’. Criticism is usually directed towards targeted persons, institutions or communities due to their misconducts, with the aim of effecting positive change in their behaviours (Adeoti, and Elegbeleye, 2005).
Against this background, activists and literary writers write extensively to help reform the inappropriateness in the mode of governance of our indigenous government. Since satire has the capacity to condemn certain ills and decadence in the society, these writers found its use more feasible and practicable. Such approach to literary writing emerged as the most appropriate for them to express their commitment to the hurting menace on the land over the people.
On this basis, this study will be focusing on Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow. These plays were chosen based on the fact that they are voices against oppression and socio-poitical injustice in the contemporary African society. They criticize certain social and political ills in the society, some of which are concerned with corruption and nepotism in African socio-political arena.
For instance, Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It is a play that presents the various vices which are major concerns of the typical African socio-political ideology. It unveils the struggles of rising militants and radicalized women whose voices are often heard in the revolutionary struggle for change and challenge for a better governance. The play recounts the experience of how relegated women take center-stage to air their grievances and project their voice of revolts to the international community in an effort to destabilize the multinational forces (Like Shell ad Chevron in the case of Nigeria) and class interests which have oppressed them for so long. The playwright depicts a society filled with all sorts of social vices and injustice which are often perpetrated by indigenes of the land. The playwright reveals how many occupants of the land have turned themselves to militants due to their constant agitation for emancipation and freedom. He also explains how oil companies in the land are used as agents of exploiting their natural resources to impoverish their land.
Just like it is evident in Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It, Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow is another play which under review in this study which reveals the constant voices of the people against oppression in the society. The play unveils the efforts of the occupants of Ewawa whose intervention of the gods has helped them to gain freedom from the shackles of corruption and dictatorship of their traditional ruler, Chila Kintasi. The play is a satirical presentation of actualities in contemporary society. The playwright presents a community where values of old have been emasculated because of greed. The values of the play relate to the oppressive system of governance and unrealistic thoughts by political cabals which are characterized by the misuse or injustice, power tussle, corruption, and vicious greed.
Significantly, in Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow most of the protests and revolts are pioneered by the women. They made it a bone of contention to air their voice relevantly to the society. This also goes a long way to capture the aspects of feminism in the African society. Traditionally, African women have played several roles- from peace-making to peace-building across different pre-colonial African societies. Women, over the years, have ceased to remain silent about the need to raise their voice against oppression and injustice in the society. Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow are therefore a stand-up call for revolt oppression and subjugation in the African society.
Unarguably, these plays employ the tools of satire and criticism as they go a long way to ridicule the decadence of oppression in the socio-political society. Against the background above, this study will be attempting a critical analysis of oppression and revolt in selected African plays by studying Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Numerous works have emerged treating relevant issues related to satire in African literature. Most of them have tried to establish the extent at which the existing literary works on political satire have been able to criticise the menace of corruption which is rampant in African politics. They concluded that corrupt politicians could change if African writers keep writing to criticise their corrupt practices and moral decadence. The study has identified that most of the works have concentrated on how literary writers adopt satire as a weapon of criticism in modern day African society. However, the selected texts (Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow) are emergence of the reality of revolts against oppression by African women in the society. Thus, this study will be adding to scholarship by showing feminist satire being used as a literary weapon on societal ills in contemporary African drama. Against this notion, this present study intends to do a critical literary analysis of oppression and revolt in selected African plays by studying Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow. It also hopes to expound on the implications of the plays on the society in ways like influencing the creation of favourable government policies and helping to restore morality on society.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to do a literary analysis of oppression and revolt in selected African plays by studying Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow. Its specific objectives are to:
- To evaluate the mutual relationship between oppression revolt in the selected African plays;
- To discover the causes of oppression and revolt in the selected texts;
- To explore the effects of the oppression and revolt in the selected texts;
- To highlight the key literary features that are inherent in the selected texts;
- To evaluate the way the selected writers’ method of characterization enhances verisimilitude by exploring the revolts of characters in the texts as victims of society’s oppression;
1.4 Research Questions
The research questions which have been speculated to guide this research are stated below:
- What is the relationship between oppression of revolt in the selected texts?
- What are the causes oppression and revolt in the selected texts?
- What are the effects if oppression and revolts in the selected texts?
- What are the key literary features that are inherent in the selected texts?
- How does the selected writers’ method of characterization enhance verisimilitude by exploring the revolts of the characters portrayed in the texts as victims of society’s oppression;
1.5 Scope and Delimitation of the Study
This study covers the scope of African literature. It focuses on the themes of oppression, violence and revolts are recurrent in most African drama. The study concentrates on the works of African playwrights who are seeking redress on the political and social injustice in the society.
The study also covers the genre of drama and how it has been patronised effectively by contemporary African writers who are one way or the other (direct or indirect) victims of socio-political injustice in the African community. The dramas have been deployed by this study as the focus of its discussion. The scope of this study is restricted to the two texts: Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow have been employed as the selected novels for the study.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This study is significant for its political leavings aimed at being corrective of social ills. It is also important because it will broaden the knowledge of students of literature about governance and the tools used writers to caution it. It also provides scholars and students of literature an overview of works and the potentials for the power of ridicule within them. Moreover, it introduces literature students and researchers to the main trends in the African political development and their history.
As regards the socio-political setting of the texts, this study stands the chance of providing great opportunities and awareness to literature students on the political rivalry and power stratification existent amongst dictatorial world powers. It also affords students and readers the opportunity of becoming aware of issues involved in the process of literary criticism and to provide students with an introduction to the basic issues of literary theories (Ambali, 2016). Also, this study would be of benefit to politicians whose interest is to primarily embezzle public funds at the expense of the masses. The study will be a viable piece which is capable of helping them change their attitudes and approaches to political governance.
1.7 Justification of the Study
This study is justified on the basis that the issue of oppression has to be regulated. Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow are considered for the basis of any judgment in the aspect of fighting for rights against oppression and cruelty. This study focuses on satire. Satire is a powerful art form which has the ability to point out the deficiencies in certain human endeavours and the social norms which result from them in such a way that they become absurd even hilarious which is therefore entertaining and reaches a wide audience. Satire also has the ability to protect its creator from guilt for dissenters in difficult or oppressive political and social periods.
1.8 Justification for the Choice of the Texts
The selected texts portrayed a good image of sexual immorality as an issue. Both texts: Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow are voices against oppression in the African society. Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It is a good choice because it reveals how relegated women take centre-stage to air their grievances and project their cause to the international community in an effort to destabilise the multinational forces and class interests which have oppressed them for so long. Echoes of tortured voices of women stab and slash through the body of the universe as the people cry out loud. How long can a people––whose land produces the richest oil and natural gas resources.
Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow is also a good choice as it depicts the struggles of rising militant and radicalised women and youths in a dramatised revolutionary struggle for change and challenge to tradition. The relegated women take centre-stage to air their grievances and project their cause to the international community in an effort to destabilise the multinational forces and class interests which have oppressed them for so long. Echoes of tortured voices of women stab and slash through the body of the universe as the people cry out loud.
1.9 Methodology
This study is qualitative and mainly descriptive. A purposive sampling method was used to select the two plays: Tess Onwueme’s Then She Said It and Bole Butake’s And Palmwine Will Flow. The criterion for the selection was based on the notion of satire as a tool of social and political criticism as exemplified in the plays. In the course of the analysis, content analysis will be used to validate the data based on the elements of oppression and revolts in the plays using two literary theories: Marxist Theory and Feminist theory.
1.10 Theoretical Framework
As regards the theoretical model, this study will be adopting Marxist Approach and feminist approach. Marxist approach helps the researcher to have a clear ground on the criticism of political elite based on the ground of class stratification. To this effect, Marxism enhances better criticism on issues like poverty, corruption, unequal distribution of wealth and so on. Hence, this will be a suitable model for analysing the plays. Also, feminist theory is particular about issues such as gender consciousness, female awareness and revolts against oppression. Thus, feminism, as a theory, will be adopted as the analytical model in that regard.
1.11 Expected Outcomes
This study should be able to touch the mind of readers positively where oppression, revolt and militancy is involved. At the end of this study, readers should not only be able to identify the evils related to oppression and revolts in African plays but they should also be enlightened on its effects on individuals and the whole African community as portrayed in the texts. The study will also help to sensitize people on the need to stand up against injustice and uphold justice.
1.12 Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined in this study for the sake of better understanding.
Oppression: Oppression is the act of dominating or inflicting pains on other people against their wish.
Revolt: Revolt is the reaction against any form of oppression in a society.
Militancy: Militancy is a violent movement by aggrieved group of people against acts of injustice in the society.
African Plays: African plays refer to those sets of drama that reflect the African experience.
