Politico-Philosophical Reflections on Dystopia in the 21st Century Africa: The Significance of Wole Soyinka's A Dance of the Forests

Abstract

Studies by many literary and theatre scholars have demonstrated the relevance of Wole Soyinka's plays to Africa's sociopolitical realities. Nonetheless, sufficient critical attention has not been given to the relevance of Soyinka's A Dance of the Forests (1973a) to the current sociopolitical situation in Africa. This study analyzes various themes of dystopia in Soyinka's A Dance of the Forests and shows their relevance to the troubled condition of life in contemporary Africa. The study is premised on the idea that the significance of literary works, especially in Africa, goes beyond the period in which they are produced. Using postcolonial insights of Frantz Fanon and Homi Bhabha as a theoretical paradigm, the study contends that, although A Dance of the Forests is set against the background of Nigerian independence in 1960, the play's representations of crises of governance are relevant to the socio-political upheavals in the 21st century Africa. While the play acknowledges the Western colonial factor, it demonstrates that political tyranny, social injustice, dehumanization, and other indices of dystopia prevalent in the continent predate as well as transcend Western colonialism. It shows that the state of dystopia in Africa has a link with the long-established culture of tyranny in the continent. The study shows that Soyinka's A Dance of the Forests reveals that various African rulers (before and during colonialism, and after independence), together with their collaborators, within and outside the continent, support and implement dystopian policies which undermine the collective happiness of the ordinary people. By demonstrating that diverse elements of dystopia in Africa are not only generated by external factors but also deeply rooted in some aspects of Africa's precolonial and post-independence leadership cultures, the playwright summons both African leaders and the led for critical self-examinations. The paper concludes that, rather than solutions from outsiders, Africans themselves should address the pervasive corruption and tyranny assailing their continent, and institute justice and equity in order to resolve its dystopian condition.