The Savannah A Postcolonial Society Under African...

Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah depicts a Postcolonial society under African dictatorship. However, the dictator, known as his Excellency, has far more fear in upholding colonial rule than first meets the eye. In wanting to up to, and even conform to previous colonial rule, his power as a leader is repressed. This leads us to understand that post-colonialism is far beyond living in a society without colonial government. Instead, it can be understood as living in a society that has its own form of governing, one that is not dependant or in want of satisfying previous colonisers. Like Anthills of the Savannah, those with the most power, ironically suffer from the most repression of power, which is also a theme that will be highlighted in Doris Lessing’s The Grass is Singing. Lessing is writing in essentially a rural slave society, with masters and servants clearly knowing their place within it. It is the social discourse, the voice of Rhodesia, which guides every one in how they should, or should not behave. These behaviours had to conform to the understanding that the white colonisers are superior to the black population. However, a character that was supposed to be liberated and empowered by this social discourse is repressed by it. Mary cannot uphold the social discourse because she does not know how too. Consequently, she becomes a threat to the myth of white cultural superiority. Thus, using these two novels, the term ‘Postcolonial’ will be explored through theShow MoreRelatedRole of African Elites in Dismantling Decolonization5146 Words   |  21 Pagessensibility of most African writers. Thus, they illuminate the various types of mentalities or ideologies that inform African literature. In addition, these works help the reader determine if a novelist s portrayal of African society fully reflects its social relations, political arrangements, and economic factors. These critical writings also help in the debate on the defi nition of African literature. For they bring out the historical connections that make it possible to analyze African literature dealing