The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
Abstract
This research study exposes the corrupt practices in Wole Soyinka’s The Road and Chris Egharevba’s The Labourer’s Blood. The study revealed that, corruption, exploitation, poverty and social injustices are the major societal challenges confronting the poor masses in our Nigerian society.
The study also showed that the rich and the political leaders are the causes of this corruption and poverty in our contemporary society. In Soyinka’s The Road, Soyinka portrays the corrupt attitude of the protagonist, professor how he make his money through corrupt and bad attitude of selling Aksident spare parts.In addition, he portrays Joe a law enforcement who is supposed to fight corruption but he too involves himself into corrupt attitude by getting bribes from professor without defending the common man.
The study also reviewed that, in Egharevba’s The Labourer’s Blood chief Obazee as one of the rich men in our Nigerian society who imposes poverty, affliction as he exploits his workers with evidence in the characters under investigation. These authors therefore expose this general brutality, corruption affecting our Nigerian society. The novelists have also shown that most economic political and social problems in under developed societies like Nigeria emanate from our corrupt and selfish leaders who exploit the poor without consideration.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Two major concepts presently bedeviling Nigeria are corruption and class stratification. These two concepts through independent to one another, that seems to always generate conflict in the society. Therefore, political corruption is the use of power by government officials for illegitimate and private gain. This point is seen in Chinua Achebe’s The Troubled with Nigeria he said
There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character…but, that Nigerian’s problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to their responsibilities (5).
He further maintains that, the Nigerian leaders are corrupt … and this consequently makes the corruption easy…and corruption is difficult to practice, the Nigerian atmosphere will be convenient for the masses. Based on Achebe’s views on The Trouble with Nigeria it is clear that nothing is wrong with the Nigerian character.
In Soyinka’s The Road and Egharevba’s The Labourers Blood, these writers believes that, Africa generally and Nigeria in particular have been portrayed simultaneously as a failed continent and a failed country, betrayed by rulers who have mismanaged its economy and destroyed its political ethics. In the bid of getting into power at all cost, writer like Kenneth Harrow maintains that;
The nation state in African today is in crisis misrule….. and corruption have danced across the land provoking widespread skepticism towards the mechanism of government and a sense of resignation over the inevitable indifference of the wealthy and powerful to the enormous social problems at hand.
Globalization and Aids has spread their pandemic effects, war and economy have gained the terrain, so that walking down town or driving at night have become risky under taking in many areas one has merely to mention the words southern Sudan or eastern Congo to elicit a shrug of despair (33).
The above has shown that, the consequences of the loss of predictable political power in any society is one thing, at the national level but they are quite different.
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Corruption affects the way countries and the leaders are ruled. It is a disease, a cancer that eats into the cultural, political and economic fabric of the society, and destroys the functioning of vital organs. The attempt to create a common understanding has led to the research of this project.
- Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this work is to analyze the corrupt practices with reference to Chris Egbarevba’s The labourer’s Blood and Wole Soyinka’s The Road.
1.4 Significance of the study
This work will be significant to the government to look into this issue of corrupt practices and how the masses are disillusioned without care of favour. The study will also serve as a good material to students and researchers on the issues of corrupt practices in our contemporary African societies with reference to the two plays in this work.
1.5 Objectives of the study
The study intends to:
(i) to investigate the causes and consequences of corruption in Nigerian society.
(ii) to examine the corrupt practices in the two plays in this research project.
(iii) to proffer solution to this problem of corrupt practices that have devoid the Nigerian societies
1.6 Research Methodology
The main sources of this research is a textual analysis of Egharevba’s The Labourer’s Blood and Soyinka’s The Road. The secondary materials are from the texts, library, magazines and some African prose works for more information.
1.7 Scope and limitation of the study
The scope of this work will be limited to the novels of Chris Egharevba’s The Labourer’s Blood and Wole Soyinka’s The Road.
1.9 Bio-Data for Chris Egharevba
Chris Egbarevba is a Nigerian playwright, poet and a critic. He is the pioneer chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Akwa Ibom State chapter. He is a senior lecturer in the department of English, University of Uyo, Uyo Nigeria. Below are his published plays; Canopy of thunder (1995), Songs of the New Breeds (1996), the labourer’s Blood (1998), Nigeria mare of our day (1999), Broken chains (2002), Clouds of Blood (2001), Legacy of Thunder (2001).
1.9 Bio-Data of Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka was born into a Yoruba family in Abeokuta Ogun State to a Remo family of Isara-Remo in July 13, 1934. He was the second child of six (6) children born to his father, Samuel Ayodele Soyinka an Anglican minister and the headmaster of St. Peters school in Abeokuta. After attending St. Peters Primary School, he then went to Abeokuta grammar school was he won several prizes for literacy composition.
In 1946, he was accepted by Government College in Ibadan which was one of the Nigerian elite secondary school at that time. He finished his course at the Government College in 1952-1954. While at the university, Soyinka and six (6) others founded the pirates and anti-corruption and justice seeking student organization, the first confraternity in Nigeria.
Later in 1984, Soyinka relocated to England where he continued his studies in English literature under the supervision of his mentor, Wilson Knight at the University of Leeds, 1954-1957. Before he would defend his B.A, Soyinka began publishing and working as an editor for the satirical magazine the Eagle.
In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature becoming the first African laurate. In the same year, he received the Agip prize for literature.
In 1973, he received the Honoury P. H. D in the University of Leeds. Soyinka as one of the best Nigeria playwrights and African as a whole. He wrote many plays, poems, essays and novels. His selected works include; The Swamp Dwellers, the Lion and the Jewel The Trials of Brother Jero, A Dance of the Forest, the Road, Dead and the King’s Horseman, Kings Harvest.
1.10 Definition of Terms
Corrupt practices: Are social and political issues practiced by leaders by exploiting the masses in the society, and the economy of the country.
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
The Theme of Corrupt Practices in Wole Soyinka The Road and Chris Egharevba The Labourers Blood
