‘Traditional’ and ‘Organic’ Intellectuals in Wole Soyinka´s The Interpreters (1965) and Ayi Kwei Armah’s Fragments (1970)
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Date
2024
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi Ouzou
Abstract
This research paper is a comparative study of The Traditional and Organic Intellectuals in Wole
Soyinka´s The Interpreters (1965), and Ayi Kwei Armah‘s Fragments (1970). Through the theory of
Traditional and Organic Intellectuals put by The Marxist Theorist and Philosopher Antonio Gramsci in
his Prison Notebooks (1947). It seeks to investigate the extent to which both authors and novels
converge in their depiction of their Intellectuals and their independent countries Nigeria and Ghana. In
our research, the first chapter examines the portrayal of Traditional Intellectuals in both Wole
Soyinka's The Interpreters (1965) and Ayi Kwei Armah's Fragments (1970). The second chapter
analyzes the depiction of Organic Intellectuals in both novels. A central finding of this study
highlights Soyinka's and Armah's perspectives on the roles and challenges faced by these different
types of intellectuals within their respective postcolonial contexts. Additionally, a part in our
discussion consists of both Soyinka‘s and Armah‘s position as Organic intellectuals where they
address the failures of postcolonial leadership and the gap between the ideal`s of independence
movements and the reality of governance in both Nigeria and Ghana. Both Armah and Soyinka have
inspired future generations of African writers and intellectuals through their commitment by
advocating for justice and integrity in postcolonial Africa. Their works continue to be studied and
admired for their profound impact on African literature and society.
Description
54p. ; (+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Soyinka, Armah, Fragments, The Interpreters, Antonio Gramsci, Prison Notebooks, Organic, Traditional, Intellectuals, Independence, Commitment, Ghana, Nigeria
Citation
Littérature et Approches Interdisciplinaires.