Citation: Dominic Kule MANZO (2018). Okri and the Protest Tradition. Yobe Journal of Language, Literature and Culture (YOJOLLAC), Vol. 6. Department of African Languages and Linguistics, Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria. ISSN 2449-0660
OKRI AND THE PROTEST TRADITION
Dominic Kule MANZO
Abstract
Protest tradition is a style of writing
which is used by literary artists in expressing their concern for the suffering
people. In the same vein they also advocate for protest by the suffering people
in order to liberate themselves from various forms of hardships. The novelists
believe that the downtrodden people experience untold hardship and tough time
as a result of poverty caused mainly by the selfish policies of the privileged
few. They hold that the privileged few’s wealth is gotten through the impoverishment
of the ordinary people. The writers' great concern for the plight of masses
spurs them to urge the ordinary people to protest against the systems or
policies that impoverish them. This therefore makes the protest oriented novels
especially to be projected from a revolutionary aesthetic perspective. The
revolutionary style is used to bring about a complete overhaul of the
impoverishing mechanisms in the society. It is against this background that
Okri’s literary works are said to fall within the protest tradition. The
paramount concern is the plight of the ordinary people. He holds that nowhere
in the world are oppression, injustice and impoverishment desirable, not to say
enjoyed by the masses.
1.1 Introduction
The
protest tradition refers to conventions and habits of writing used by novelists
in expressing their concern for the suffering people. In this form of writing
the plot and the characterization techniques highlight the suffering people’s
world-view. The plot of protest novels revolve around the various forms of
violence and demonstrate masses’ struggle to fight for their freedom. Nigeria
for instance is said to have the strongest economy in Africa because of what
she gets from crude oil and yet in the midst of the oil wealth there is abject
poverty among its citizens. The novelists believe that the privileged group
immense wealth is gained through the impoverishment and misery of the masses.
Because of this belief the novelists urge the masses to protest against the
systems that impoverish them. This vision stretches from the struggle against
slavery, colonialism and struggle for independence to post-independence
socio-economic and political violence. In the opinion of Nnolim (1992, P. 95) “…to go back a little in history, it must be
remembered that the first literary works of black Africans begin with protest
against slavery…” this indicates that protest tradition is concerned with
fighting man’s inhumanity to his fellow man which should be eradicated. The
protest novelists’ advocate for the collective will of the down-trodden people
to refuse to be exploited, manipulated or to be intimidated. The masses are
often represented by the major characters of the novels.
1.2 Okri’s Protest Tradition
The
protest tradition is projected from a revolutionary aesthetic perspective. The
revolutionary desire is to bring about a complete overhaul of the oppressive,
exploitative and manipulative mechanisms in the society. It also hopes to give
considerable validity to the fact that the war against violence could be better
constructed if the struggle for freedom and equality assume protest position. The
view of Gakwandi (1977, P. 7) on protest tradition is that:
“...demand for freedom, social justice and
equality run through African literature before and after independence”.
The
protest writing is used to provide real evaluation of the qualitative African
life. The writers see their works primarily as critics rather than means of
entertainment. The early African protest writers wrote to revolt against
slavery, colonial imperialism, brutality, racial discrimination, oppression and
exploitation, According to Beirnth Linfors 1979, the situation created “…a fresh wave of protest writing…this time
aimed against leaders who in an earlier phase of the transformation of African
had been seen as conquering heroes”. This shows that the socio-economic and
political violence created in most African countries after independence assumed
serious dimension that created concern for the liberation of the less
privileged. In Nnolim’s (2009, P. 65) opinion, the protest writers’ “…desire is to speak for the masses and to
free them from political and economic strangulation”.
He goes
further to state that the protest writers imbue “…the oppressed populace, if possible with enough revolutionary favour
to rise up and effect a social revolution” (Nnolim, 2009, p. 65). The
emergence of protest writing is aimed at projecting the realistic suffering
condition of the ordinary people, and with the aim of spurring the masses to
resist and protest against all forms of violence.
The
early protest writing as stated earlier is against colonial occupation of
African countries and destruction of African values. The novelists of that
period use protest with the aim of imbuing their main characters with enough
courage to resist and protest against any form of cultural domination and
imperialism. This is epitomized in the main characters’ protest against
colonial injustice, suppression and racial discrimination. The novelist mission
was to create awareness in the minds of Africans of the need to struggle for
the elimination of colonialism. The novelists of the colonial time used the
protest tradition because the colonial administrative machinery was violent.
This claim concurs what Maduka (1997) declares, that “…colonial set up situation is violent since the machinery of
oppression put in place by colonist is rooted in violence…” (p.49) The
harsh colonial experience such as exploitation, oppression, intimidation and
racial discrimination are fictionazed in the African novels. Most of the African
novels attack the ills conditioned by colonialism.
The
South African literature in general and the novel in particular is very much
dominated by the protest tradition, because the social setting before the
majority rule was based on racial discrimination and denial of rights for the
blacks during the apartheid rule. The discrimination and denial policies
compelled the non-white novelists to adopt the protest tradition. The novelists
in South Africa use the protest writing during racist regime with the aim of
awakening the black majority to fight the apartheid policy and eliminate all
forms of slavery and dehumanization.
The
attainment of independence by most African countries brought an end to the
protest against colonial maladministration and destruction of African values.
It is replaced by the expression of disillusionment and dissatisfaction with
indigenous African leaders. The novelists feel that the indigenous leaders have
failed to bring about fundamental changes and hopeful dreams of independence. The
writers hold that independence has only produced new class of leaders that are
not very different from the former colonial leaders. The novelists accuse the
new leaders and their administrative style in their projection of
post-independence realities. They satirize or ridicule the indigenous leaders
for their failure to provide the people with the dividend of independence. As
observed by Achebe (1965, p. 66)
that,
“…most African
continent is today politically free, there are thirty six independent African
states managing their affairs sometimes very badly. A new situation has thus
arisen, one of the writer’s main functions has always been to expose and attack
injustice.”
The
statement by Achebe indicates that the novelists or literary artists should
inform the people about the new leaders’ failure and all forms of violence
created by them. They must also inform the ordinary people about the hardship
and misery created by the new leaders’ selfish and greedy policies. It is
observed that the cooperation given to the Western World by the ruling regimes
in African states breeds neo-colonialism. To this, many African novelists see
it as a new enemy to the African masses. The writers see the cooperation as a
means of exploiting and oppressing the ordinary people. The novelists urge the
ordinary people to protest against this new form of violent policy so that they
can create a better future for themselves. This kind of cooperation between the
Western World and African leaders Ngugi (1988, p. 164) describes it thus:
“for as in the days of colonialism so now in
the days of neo-colonialism, the African people are still struggling for a
world in which they can control, that which their collective sweat produced, a
world in which they control the economic, politics and culture to make where
they want to go and who they want to be.”
This
shows that neo-colonialism has hindered the emergence of policies and
administrative style that the ordinary African people can benefit from. The
revolutionary and radical protest writing in literary work in general, novel in
particular, emerged in the 1980s especially in Nigeria. This class of novelists
holds that the depiction of post-colonial violence should go far beyond the
expression of dissatisfaction and satirizing the situation. They emphasize that
the perpetrators of violence in the country must be attacked, blamed and
castigated. The novelists really offer protest and violence in the novels
constructed by their imagination from within their own experience. In Ngugi’s
(1997) opinion, the novelists “…reflect
the struggle of the African working class and its class allies…” The
leaders’ obnoxious oppression, exploitation and injustice should be exposed to
the reader. The episodes in the novels are characterized by oppression,
exploitation, harassment and injustice. These give the features of violence in
the society.
The
novelists write with candour of concern and are committed to the liberation of
the down-trodden in the society. The protest writing depicts class struggle
between the oppressed and the oppressors. The oppressed according to Amuta
(1989, p. 509) include “…urban
proletariat, urban poor student, progressive intellectual, the rural peasantry,
progressive women organizations…” The novelists who use contemporary
protest tradition in their depiction of class struggle align themselves with
the masses in their struggle for freedom from socio-economic and political
oppression and exploitation. Nnolim (2009, p.226) sees this group of novelists
as:
“The younger ideologues, those harkening
after socialist utopia of class-less society align with the masses and urge a
revolution that would cleanse society of its present ills and usher all into
nirvana. These ideologues see literature as an instrument of liberation from
the oppressors who invariably belong to the ruling class, urging the masses to
rise up and overthrow the oppressive system.”
The use
of radical and revolutionary protest by this group of writers is aimed at
identifying and projecting the various forms of violence that have saddled the
poor masses. This is done to draw the attention of the reader to the violence
and to urge the masses to strongly protest against them. The array of comments
by the novelists is bitter but they are true and provoking. They reveal the
erroneous impression of oppression and exploitation about the poor as well as
their folly. The African protest tradition on the whole aims at creating
literary works that expose injustice, oppression and many other social ills. In
the same vein, they urge the oppressed and the victimized to struggle and free
themselves from all kinds of violence.
Similarly,
Okri’s novels, which fall within the protest tradition, depict this great
concern about the suffering masses and so urge them to fight for a better
tomorrow. In his analysis of Okri’s The
Landscapes Within, Nnolim (1992, p. 134) acknowledges the novel’s
protagonist as rebelling:
“…against all
restraints on free artistic creativity…which he captioned “Scumscape”,
depicting proletariat preachment about the life and the squalor of downtrodden
in Lagos.”
This
shows that Okri opposes any form of oppression, exploitation and injustice not
minding their consequences. Okri’s novels have the relevant features of protest
and violence tradition, since they project vividly instances of violence. When
analyzing Okri’s Flowers and Shadows
and The Landscapes Within, Nnolim
(1992, p. 138) holds that the two novels
“…reveal the protagonists’ desire to expose injustice in society and highlight
the plight of the masses.” While in his discussion of Okri’s The Famished Road, Faerk (2011), views
the novel as presenting the picture of a family:
“…as each family member expresses his or her
own mysterious hallucinatory battles, we recognize that all this upheaval is
connected to stratification of class warfare and the machination of political
power struggle”.
The two
analysts indicate that Okri as a protest novelist highlights the thorny aspects
of socio-economic and political situation that have plagued the contemporary
society. He projects how the privileged group subjugates and exploits the
masses and he urges the masses to protest against what will distort their
attainment of a better future. The obvious concern of Okri in his novels is the
hostile policies through which the masses are often oppressed and exploited as
they interact with the leaders and rich class. This claim can be supported by
Nnolim (1999, p. 134) assertion that in Okri’s writing “… there is absorbing interest shown by the author in the plight of the
underdog, the victimized, the down-trodden in the society, so that the novels
‘’other concern is about two classes in the society; the oppressors and the
oppressed; about a divided society; the rich and the poor.’’
This
statement therefore indicates that Okri’s novels are embodiment of the voice of
the oppressed and the traumatized members of his community. So Okri’s protest
writing emanates from his concern on suppression of the underdogs by the
privileged class. In the novels, he captures with telling accuracy the
complexities of the tragedy of violence. The excessive suffering and the
agonizing pain of the masses are used to indicate their living condition. He
uses cumulative images of violence to emphasize discomfort and harassment of
the environment in which the masses live. As a Nigeria as well as an African
committed novelist Okri’s novels are dense with lots of bitter realistic
socio-economic and political concern for the contemporary society as outlined
by the Chinwezu and group (1983, p. 126) thus;
“The function of the artist in Africa, in
keeping our tradition needs demand that writer as a public voice assumed as a
responsibility to reflect, public concern in his writing… Because in Africa we
recognize commitment mandatory for the artist”
Okri
commitment is the project of the plight of masses. And his radical attacks on
the leaders and the impoverishment of the ordinary people. However, Okri’s
novels imbue the underdogs with the vision of great hope for a better future,
as he urges them to protest against all forms of violence. He uses his novels
as vehicle for the liberation of the oppressed and exploited masses this rhymes
with what Bennett (2002) view that: ‘’…..Okri
one of young novelists refuses to let his character admit defeat. He rejects
the claim that the privileged class has subdued, is subduing or will subdue the
less privileged class’’
Bennett’s
view on Okri’s writing suggests that his novels are aimed at conscientizing the
downtrodden so that they can change their pathetic situation for the better.
Nnolim (2009, p. 167) asserts that Okri writes his art “…… to improve the lots of the Nigerian masses under the iron grip of
the today’s nouveacer riches and political leaders who have inflicted social
and economic harshness and heartlessness on the poor.” Okri in his novel
argues that the scars of oppressive and exploitative subjugation are embedded
in the unequal relationship between and the less privileged people and the
privilege few. This can only be eradicated through protest. Okri as a socialist
protest novelist wants to ensure that the benefits of decent life will never
remain outside the dreams of real victims of exploitation, oppression and
injustice in both rural and urban areas. He as protest writer punctuates his
novels with oppression, exploitation, injustice, inequality and deliberate
neglect of poor masses’ yearning. In spite of all these forms of violence, the
masses should struggle for their eradication through protest. Okri’s position
as a protest writer is demonstrated in some of his novels for instance in his The Famished Road his protagonist
Azaro’s father rejected the imposition of a political candidates and a party on
them by their Landlord. The novel declares: ‘’He
said even if they killed him he will not vote the landlord’s party. He went
round the compound saying this some of the neighbours noted when he made his
declaration (Okri, 1991, P. 2003)” Azaro’s father’s protest against the
landlord’s harassment and intimidation coveys Okri’s orientation as a protest
writer. Similarly in his novel Flowers
and Shadows Okri presents that Jonan a company owner is: “… iron handed with workers and kept a
strict rein over annual increments” (0kri, 1980, P. 94)
But the
novel declares that the workers revolted against Jonan’s highhandedness when
they embarked on strike to pursue their annual increment and other
entitlements. The novel asserts:
“The workers in Jonan’s company decided to go
on strike to pursue their demands. They were unbending in their demands… they
were determined” (Okri,
1980, p. 147).
The
statement in the quotation show cases the novelist’s revolutionary fervor for
the emancipation of the ordinary masses. Okri as a protest novelist warns the
privileged in his novel Dangerous Love
that the oppressed and victimized poor will surely react against their
oppressors and those who victimized them. He has this to say:
“I tell you one day this place will go up in
flames. All the ghettoes in flames the day the spirit of the people wake up. I
want to paint the ghettoes; I want the government to see how their people live.
I want us to wake up”. (Okri, 1991, P.309)
The
novelist wants to inform the leaders and the privileged class that the people
they suppress will surely one day revolt against their suppression. The arrays
of comments on Okri’s orientation and his own comment through major characters
in some of his novels clearly show that he uses the protest tradition most
especially the tradition that emerged in the 1980s
1.3 Conclusion
In
conclusion, Okri as a protest writer uses the novels as platforms for conveying
the common realities in the society. The oppressive policies form the theme for
many of the literary artists who emerged in the 1980s. Okri being one of them
believes that the violent policies have resulted in structuring a society that
continues to frustrate the full development of individual personality, and
divided the community according to class. Hence Okri holds that it is the duty
of the literary artist to advocate for protest in order to push out the class
system in the society.
REFERENCE
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Gakwandi,
S. A. (1977). The novel and contemporary
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Okri,
Ben C. (1991). The famished road London:
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Okri,
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London: Phoenix House
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