The Novel and the Novelist: The Role of an Artist in the Post-Independence African State

Abstract

Chinua Achebe and Ayi Kwei Armah in their novels A Man of the People and The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born, respectively, deplored the betrayal of independence slogans. This paper shows how far fiction is used to portray reality of what happened in the post-colonial Africa. The new elite which is at the helm of the nation is a ‘comprador bourgeoisie’ which is concerned with the politics of self-enrichment while the conditions of ordinary citizens deteriorate. People’s cynicism and abandon of their political affairs to this kind of politicians constitutes their contribution to the despicable political situation they are in.