CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF WHOLE SOYINKA’S KONGI’S HARVEST

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF WHOLE SOYINKA’S KONGI’S HARVEST

The clash between the modern and the traditional forces in an emergent modern African society is a very familiar the concern in all genres of African literature. Wole Soyinka is therefore not out of place in his preoccupation with it in Kong’s Harvest. This clash is enacted between the Oba (the traditional head) and President Kongi (the modernist and constitutional head). Though a constitutional head Kongi is essentially a dictator. In essence his modern dictatorship strives to absorb within itself the traditional system so as to destroy it as a contending power as well as capture its legitimacy, dignity, the appeal, and power. This clash manifests itself from the very start in the Hemlock section. There, the role of drums and the anthem suggest the struggle of two opposing camps for supremacy. The traditional forces are being stifled out of life by the propaganda and the paraphernalia accompanying Kongi’s dictatorship. They have been rejected as rotten waste for:

Ism to ism for ism is ism

Of isms and isms on absolute-ism

To demonstrate the tree of life

Is sprung from broken peat

And we the rotted bark, spurned

When the tree swells its pot

The mucus that is snorted out

When Kongi’s new race blows (20) 

                       

            Kongi’s forces have thus scored one against the Oba’s. They have confined the forces of traditional, the Oba and his retinue to waste the rest of their years in prison. Though the clash continues, the struggle is at a lower plane, since they cannot meet Kongi and his force head-on. They are relegated to battling with a junior representative, the superintendent of prison. This eclipsing of the forces of tradition is what is being mourned for by the opening dirge in “Hemlack” The King’s  umbrella can no longer shade them and this is seen as signaling the end, for as the Ogbo Aweri laments:

            This is the last

            That we shall dance together

            This is the last the hairs

            Will lift on our skin

            And draw together

            When the gbedu rouses

            The dead in Oshugbo (28)

            For though the end of the traditional ruler’s public role has been affected, it is by no means the end of the struggle. He still has mystical powers, dignity, and symbolic values all of which Kongi and his henchmen could give anything to get. Kongi’s wrong-headed conviction of the superiority of Western civilization leads him to senselessly replacing traditional institutions by the former. His transformation of traditional institutions to absurd modern versions is lunatic, for no thought is given to the superficiality that will possibly result.

            Kongs demonstrates a paranoiac distrust of almost everyone around him. Through coercion, he buys overall authority and traditional legitimacy all of which he then ungrudgingly bestows on himself. He thus develops himself to the central repository of all powers. The traditional ruler, Danlola, is therefore compelled to present him personally with the New Yam. This will publicly acknowledge his supremacy and enable him to stamp his image on every mind as a charismatic and legitimate ruler. Even his opponents are thus constrained to beg for forgiveness.

            The presentation of Kongi and his henchmen is a biting satire of the modern dictators in African as well as elsewhere. The composite picture is almost that of a madman. For after all the all dictatorships border on madness. The dictator, Kongi maintains total control over all the instruments of coercion that are in fact the lifeblood and modus operandum of all modern dictatorships. These instruments of coercion are well established and manifested in the smallest-winging carpenters Brigade and in the superintendent who tyrannizes over the O ba.

            Their repressiveness is evident in Oba’s speech

            Their yam is pounded, not with the lifestyle

            But with a stamp and a pad of violet ink

            And their arms make an omelet of

            Stubborn heads, via police truncheons

            And this is confirmed in the word of their Anthems;

            We squad the           of kongism

            To every son and daughter

            And heads too slow to learn it

            Will feel our mallet’s weight (109)

           

There’s also, Kongi’s pervasive spy network which Danlola often sees sneaking in through the broken wall of his background many times in just one day.

            The Big Ear of the man himself

            Has knocked twice on my palace gates-

            Twice in one morning-and his spies

            Have sneaked in through the broken wall

            Of my backyard, where women throw their piss

            Ass many times today (102)

           

Imprisonment and death are also available to repress those who fail to understand and behave themselves. New offenses are continually being created, charges such as treason and communism are easily framed up against whosoever they desire to bring them up against. Those present at Segi’s and Daudu’s protest are therefore easily liable to being charged with treason for “To be there at all at that disgraceful or Exhibition is to be guilty of treason, conspiracy etc, (133). The jail is thus only one step towards the grave. For an ignoble death is the ultimate fate of every detainee. One’s struggle to hold on to life, by escaping through the prison walls, leads therefore to a life pension being afford to the one who brings him back dead or alive.

            Kongi could be seen as representing the modern paranoid dictator. Instead of being a proactive force he engenders and spreads destruction, decapitating his opponents and showing no genuine interest in the fertility rites of the soil and of the flesh.

Characterization

Ø    President Kongi: Hs is seen in the text as an absolute dictator who does not pay any attention to his subjects. He is identified as one who loves to hear his subjects affirming his superior position in society. Kong has a strong flame for slogans because he sees it as a constant boost and continuous stay in power, dialogue shows Kongi as a character who is vainglorious. He is glorified in being raised to the status of Christ and also he is revealed as a character who loves ceremonies. Dialogue character as he attempts to reverse the old order where the new yam should be eaten first by the Oba. Even after the erection of a pulpit against him by Daudu at the new yam festival

Ø    Organizing Secretary: The secretary is portrayed as a clever character who loves slogans. He is self-seeking and diplomatic. His cleverness is evident in the way he handles situations. He has the feeling that something is bound to go wrong. When he senses that things are not going as smoothly as planned, he promptly goes into hiding to save himself. He loves for slogans is exposed through dialogue. On various occasions, he is seen manufacturing slogans and showering praises on Kongi. He coins the popular one Ismite is Might. As a self-seeking character, he claims that most of the ideas he gets from others, are his. All in all, dialogue reveals the secretary as a character who is clever, self-seeking, diplomatic and as one who has a flair for slogans and praise.

Ø    Danlola: Danlola is revealed as a traditionalist who is witty, strong-willed, uncompromising and obstinate and also as a dictator. His speech which is characterized by traditional elements like proverbs, parables, and allusions to Yoruba myths portray him as a traditionalist. Almost every utterance of his is characterized by traditional elements. In the following  speech, for instance, Danlola with the aid of a proverb states that wise men should know whom to choose between himself and Kongi He says:

The pigeon’s coming from the shrill alarm

When Ogun stalks the forest (58)

He makes allusions to traditional institutions, objects, and events and not to the modern. He is a custodian of the traditional political institution hence he refuses to surrender his powers to Kongi who is a modernist. He sees progress in tradition because it is jointly operated by all members of the society as opposed to Kongi’s dictatorship

Ø    Daodu: Dialogue gives an insight into the character of Daodu as a diplomatic, courageous learned and determined character. With diplomatic language, he is able to extract the information he wants from the secretary. He acts as if he is in the secretary’s camp and succeeds in getting news that there were plans to have him arrested because he was considered a threat to Kongi’s government. Daodu pretentiously takes sides with the secretary and agrees to help in convincing his uncle Danlola to openly present the yam to Kongi at the ceremony the next day. This quality of Daodu enables him to get to know more of the other camp and with this, he is able to plan how to confront Kongi.

Ø    Segi: Segi is portrayed as a character who is mysterious powerful, clever and receptive. Throughout the play, she is shrouded in mystery. Even Danlola does not understand her until he is told that she is the daughter of the prisoner who has first escaped. The song of Daodu describes Segi as one with mysterious powers. She is portrayed as a sex goddess with irresistible features yet as dangerous as a poisonous snake. Even the secretary who has not been comfortable since his into the club because of Segi’s presence.

Segi appears to other characters as one who is not of this world. She seems to them to possess those qualities of the supernatural. She is seen as a sex symbol endowed with features that attract men to her. After all, even apparently asexual Kongi used to be her boyfriend.