Revisiting the Issue of Resistance to Bribery in A.S. Ogundimu’s A Silly Season

Célestin Gbaguidi

Authors

Célestin Gbaguidi Université d’Abomey-Calavi

Keywords:

Bribery, behaviour, challenges, pressure, resistance, role model

Abstract

Bribery is a plague that seriously undermines the economic and social growth of postcolonial African countries and is viewed as a very complex structure deeply rooted in some African societies. It challenges the moral virtues so that almost all the citizens of the society cannot do without it in that the citizens who swim against the tide are frustrated, stigmatised, and pressured by their close relatives and co-workers. Ogundimu differs in his approach to tackle social and political issues in his novel A Silly Season (2008), classified among novels of disillusionment. This novel presents and contests the acceptance of a devastating plague by all workers of the civil service. This study focuses on the case of the character Kunle Bangbelu in the focus novel who vehemently resists a rampant social phenomenon and is regarded as the odd-man-out.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ajakah, J.C. 2018. The corruption quagmire in Armah’s ‘The beautiful ones are not yet born. https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/corruption-quagmire-armahs-beautiful-ones-not-yet-born/. Retrieved on September 9, 2018.

Ashcroft, B., Griffiths, G., et al., 2007. Post-colonial studies: the key concepts. Routledge, New-York.

Bhat, M.A. June 2014. Satire in post-independence African Novel: A Study of Chinua Achebe’s A man of the people and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s Wizard of the crow. Int. J. Stud. Eng. Lang. Liter., 2(6): 17-21.

Cros, E. 2011. Towards a sociocritical theory of the text. Sociocriticism - Vol. XXVI, 1 y 2, 32-47.

Derrida, J. 1966. Structure, Sign, and Play. Printed/translated by Macksey and Donato (1970), 262-63 pp.

Hellsten, S.K. and Lwaitama, A.F. 2004. Civic ethics handbook for development: Ethics and reflective civic skills for development. Dar es Salaam: Oxford University Press.

Kehinde, A. 2004. Post-independence disillusionment in contemporary African fiction: the example of Meja Mwangi’s Kill me quick. Nordic J. African Stud., 13(2): 228-41.

Kehinde, A. 2008. Post-independence Nigerian literature and the quest for true political leadership for the nation. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa, Volume 10 N°2. Clarion: University of Pennsylvania, 333-60 pp.

Klages, M. 2012. Key terms in literary theory. London: Bloomsbury.

Lumumba, P.L.O. 2014. Corruption: the bane of Africa. Corruption in Africa: A threat to justice and sustainable peace. Nduku, E. and Tenamwenye, J. (Eds.), Globethics.net Focus N°14, Switzerland, 17-48 pp.

Macheka, M.T. 2014. 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. Int. J. Eng. Liter., 5(1): 14-18.

Masabo, C.J. 2014. Corruption and fraudulent culture: The case of Tanzania. Corruption in Africa: A threat to justice and sustainable peace. Nduku, E. and Tenamwenye, J. (Eds.), Globethics.net Focus N°14, Switzerland, 145-68 pp.

Ogundimu, A.S. 2008. A silly season. Lagos: Campus Publications Ltd.

Pewissi, A. 2017. Rethinking Womanism: When Differnce Maps Chaos, Accra-Ghana: Yamens Press Ltd