Thematic concerns in Adichie’s Half of a yellow sun and Okpewho’s The Last Duty
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
The Nigerian civil war, better known as the
Biafra war of 6th July 1967 -15th January 1970, was a war fought between the
government of Nigeria, and the secessionist state of Biafra which represents
the Nationalist aspirations of the Eastern Nigerians, whose leadership felt
they can no longer coexist with the Northern –dominated federal government.
(According to Major Abubakar Atofarati: CSC 1992).
The conflict results from political, economic, cultural and religious tensions which proceeds Britain’s formal decolonization of Nigeria from 1960 – 1963. The immediate causes of the war in 1966, includes a military coup, a counter – coup, and persecution of the Easterners living in the Northern Nigerian, as well as the control over the lucrative oil production in the Niger-Delta.
On
January, 15th, 1966, Nigerian actually experienced a coup, soldiers assumed control
of the government, abolishing all democratic institutions, suspending the
constitution and ruling by decree. Another coup takes place a few months later,
which gives rise to the military dictatorship in Nigeria. Events Nigeria becomes
deeply embroiled in the ethnic civil war, which inspires (The Last Duty) by
Isidore Okpewho and (Half of a yellow sun) by Chimamanda Adichie.
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On
May 30th, 1967, Ojukwa declares the Eastern region to be a separate country
from Nigeria, and names the new Nation the “Republic of Biafra”, with four
African countries: Zambia, Tanzania, Gabon, Ivory Coast in full support, and on
that 30th May1967, Nigeria declare war on the secessionist state of Biafra,
under the Slogan, “To keep Nigeria one is a task, which must be done”.
In
The Last Duty the political slogan is
echoed as “To keep Zonda one, is a task which must be done”, and Zonda is a fictional name for Nigeria. This begins the Nigeria civil war of 6th July 1967
– 15th January 1970, a conflict that drags for 30 months.
One
dilemma on both sides is how to treat families with heritages in both Nigeria
and Biafra. This problem is most acutely in border towns where people of
different ethnic groups have intermarried and intermingled for decades.
Generally, families with members of different ethnic groups on different sides
of the war, experiences hard times establishing their unquestionable loyalty
and in the end, many of them split up and returns to their individual places of
origin rather than living under daily suspicion of their loyalty to a
particular side. This type of families is at the root of the crisis in
Okpewho’s The Last Duty and
Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a yellow sun.
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The
civil war begins and people not born in the territories in which they find
themselves, are at the mercy of their neighbors, who may trump up allegations
of sabotage and collaboration with the enemy. Many innocent lives are lost to
such charges, the means, as evident in the two texts, by which some malicious
people settle old scores.
Random
clashes between different ethnic groups have been a fact of life since
independence. There have been various attempts to accommodate diverse ethnic
interest in government and to achieve equity in power-sharing and the
distribution of amenities, but ethnic jealousies rivalries, suspicious, and
mistrust still abounds.
From
the aforementioned, the research work seeks to bring to bear the thematic
concerns of the war, as seen in Adichie’s Half
of a yellow sun and Okpewho’s The
Last Duty. The work also brings to line light the societal disorder,
emotional pains, conflicts, injustice and psychological damages that are
experienced by the Nigerian citizens (Eastern Nigerians) during the three years the civil war of 1967 – 1970.
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1.2
Statement
of the Problem
The
declaration of the Eastern region to be a separate country from Nigeria, termed
the “Republic of Biafra” on 30th May 1967, led to the Nigeria civil war of
1967 – 1970 which is the cause of the researcher’s interest in the effects and a consequence of the war on the individual and the society in general.
1.3
Purpose
of the Study
Generally,
the research work seeks to portray and analyses the thematic concerns in
Adichie’s Half of a yellow sun and
Okpewho’s The Last Duty. Therefore,
the study will; examine the Nigeria civil war of 1967 -1970.
v Access
the effects of the war on the Nigerian society and the people at large.
v Expose
the cause of the war.
v Expose the wicked and deceptive nature of
political leaders in Nigerian society.
1.4
Significance
of the Study
The
research work will bring out the casualties as well as the degrading effects of
the Nigeria civil war of July, 6th 1967 January, 15th 1970.
It
will educate members of the public on the general effects of war in any modern
society, as well as society disenfranchisement.
It
will expose the bad policies of the administration of the colonial masters.
The
work will also serve as a reference manual for future researchers on related
topics.
The
work will also serve as a didactic piece to the political class to desist from
formulating obnoxious policies which will trigger of ethnic sentiments and
animosity among citizens of our dear country.
1.5
Objective
of the Study
The
major objectives of this research work, include the following:
to
examine the thematic concerns in Adichie’s Half
of a yellow sun and Okpewho’s The
Last Duty;
to
expose the injustice committed against innocent civilians, by highly placed
individuals in society;
to
bring to bear the issues of tribalism which has gone a long way in posing threats
to the spirit of oneness;
to
portray the effects of most decisions taken by political leaders, even at the expense of the masses;
to
vindicate literary icons on their exploits in exposing some of the societal
misdemeanors and the presence of dichotomy between the various social strata,
especially, the widening gap between the bourgeois (rich) and proletariats
(Poor) in their literary adventure.
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1.6
Research
Methodology
The
research work is basically library research and internet browsing.
Information gathered from primary works such as Adichie’s Half of a yellow sun and Okpewho’s The Last Duty, constitute the primary research method which are
used to carry out this work.
The
secondary sources are obtained from literary books such as critical works, and
literary Journals.
1.7
Scope
and Limitation of the study
The
scope of the study is restricted to an investigation in the thematic concerns in
Adichie’s Half of a yellow sun and
Okpewho’s The Last Duty.
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