By M.S.C. Okolo. Dakar and London: CODESRIA and Zed, 2007; 164 pp. £19.99(pb). ISBN 978184778951. Reviewed by Barry Riddell, Queen's University, Canada. ©Barry Riddell, 2008.
This book addresses the interface which exists between the often quite disparate disciplines of philosophy and literature, and does so within the context of the African conditions of poverty, corruption, and state ineptitude. It talks to the contrasting scenarios and explanatory frameworks of two of the continent's outstanding novelists – Chinua Achebe and Ngugi wa Thiong'o – whose books likely constitute Africa's most familiar and stimulating texts of the post-Independence period. However, I finished reading Okolo with a mixed reaction.
As she states in the introduction, her study provides ‘an intellectual and analytic framework within which the African experience can be conceptualized, interpreted and reorganized’ (p.2); here she investigates the relationship between literature and society. This is undertaken by considering the political components of Achebe's Anthills of the Savanna (1987) and Ngugi's Petals of Blood (1977). The former sees Africa's problems as a result of ‘internal’ corruption, state failure, ineptitude, and the privatisation of the public resources, while the latter points to leadership, colonialism, capitalism, and imperialism as the basic sources. The foundation of Okolo's analysis is political philosophy (providing a worldview and critical reflection) upon which the writings of the two authors are considered (first in general by investigating their several other novels, then in detail for Anthills and Petals). As the analysis develops, the writings of some additional novelists such as Soyinka, Sembene, and Armah are interrogated. She finalises her study by comparing the authors in terms of their perspectives on the African condition and on possible social reconstruction. Therein resides the work's strength; it is rendered powerful and insightful by her selection of authors. The chosen authors speak to the causes in thoughtful and contrasting manners. Their works ‘provoke people into assessing and criticizing’ (p.28). Here, she categorises the comments in terms of themes important in the understanding of the African condition in several social science disciplines: alienation, power, gender, ideology, leadership, and citizenship.
However, the text suffers from a ‘deja vu’ reading. These texts by Ngugi and Achebe will be quite familiar to most readers of this journal; it is quite wellknown that they depicted both Africa's ills and their causes. Further, the philosophical framework presented by Okolo is elementary (and largely ‘western’, other than Gandhi – where are Africa's thinkers?). And, the reader asks: Where are the novel insights resulting from political philosophy? And so too, her Marxism adds little that has not already been stated or analysed by others. In fact, the originality of the issues raised was a basic concern – many have commented on these texts previously, and so the author's critique is especially thoughtful – but it is mostly a revisit, a synthetic essay which collates what others have indicated previously.
An issue not found in Okolo's otherwise thoughtful, well-organised, and profound LitCrit relates to the silences of these novels – to the fundamental issues not discussed in these books. They disregard certain aspects which are fundamental to the understanding of the African condition and its possible solution: I expected the author to indicate these. They include ethnicity, religion, urbanisation, regionalism, redistribution, population growth, civil wars, diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, the transition from an economy of affection to neo-liberalism – and (especially in a Marxist critique) the articulation of the modes of production. These are matters which are of critical importance in understanding the African condition. We are told what the novels say, but not what they omit.
The difficulty that this analysis illustrates is unfortunately one that affects our brother and sister scholars in Africa. University libraries on the continent are sadly deficient. Research funds are scarce or unavailable. Besides, with huge classes and the demands of family and kin, few find time for original research. As well, there is an important temporal dimension in that today's scholars were raised under these same conditions which their mentors faced. It is unfortunately indexed in journals on Africa published in Canada, the UK, the US, and elsewhere in the First World: there are few African authors from the continent because of matters of timing, quality, writing, and novelty. There are notable exceptions to this generality, but this condition is a sad reality.
The voices of the novels provide an initial understanding of Africa's social, political, and economic contexts. The issue addressed by Okolo's investigation are important; the ‘voices’ of literature speak to the African condition. Much can be learned from what they tell us, and also from what they do not say. However, it is unfortunate that the present text is largely a re-visit of writers of 20–30 years ago, and that both the realm of African philosophy is ignored, as are the messages of contemporary writers.