International Journal of
English and Literature

  • Abbreviation: Int. J. English Lit.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2626
  • DOI: 10.5897/IJEL
  • Start Year: 2010
  • Published Articles: 281

Review

An evaluation of post-colonial African leadership: A study of Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born, and Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People

Mavis Thokozile Macheka
  • Mavis Thokozile Macheka
  • Great Zimbabwe University, Zimbabwe.
  • Google Scholar


  •  Accepted: 17 December 2013
  •  Published: 31 January 2014

Abstract

This paper centers on how post-colonial African leaders in Armah’s The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born and Achebe’s A Man of the People have shifted from democratic leadership to an autocratic type of governance. The paper denotes a form of corruption that departs from cherished values and ideals of post-colonial Africa. The key method of this paper is textual analysis. The paper seeks to show the socio-economic disillusionment of an independent African society. The leaders abuse their posts to enrich themselves at the nation’s expense. The paper seeks to show how the black people’s quest for shared power and freedom has been thwarted by the post-colonial African governments. The paper also dwells on how the misuse of power causes the offices of African leaders to be sources of evil and wealth creation for a few selected individuals.
 
Key words: Post-colonial African leadership.