Bondage Of ‘Independent’ Nations: Neo-Imperialism In Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Petals Of Blood And Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People
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Date
2024
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Ankara Üniversitesi
Abstract
According to Frantz Fanon, in the former colonies ''[i]ndependence does not bring a change
of direction'' (1978, p. 100). In postcolonial era the ''national bourgeoisie discovers its
historical mission as intermediary. As we have seen, its vocation is not to transform the
nation but prosaically serve as a conveyor belt for capitalism, forced to camouage itself
behind the mask of neocolonialism'' (1978, p. 100-101). In both Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Petals
of Blood and Indra Sinha's Animal's People after independence, the colonialists are
replaced by a national bourgeoisie who, without capital and economic power, become
dependent on foreign investment. In both novels, the unprivileged poor are the victims of
the neo-imperialist system which attracts multinational corporations to take advantage of
low-cost land and cheap labour. Ngugi explores the subjectivity of African history as
reected by Westerners by the dual narration of his novel, from a subjective and a
relatively objective but complementary narrative voice. Neither the previous colonial
domination nor the national bourgeoisie which replaces them represents the victims of the
system. The narration of the novel from the perspective of Munira, who refuses the familial
capitalist wealth by escaping to live in Ilmorog, successfully reects the contradictory
concerns of the capitalists and the victims. In Animal's People, Sinha gives voice to the
subaltern victims of the system by the rst-person narrative of Animal, who is one of the
worst victims of the system. Sinha emphasizes the reality of his story by indicating each
chapter as a tape recording and using a sharp, slangy, and witty language for Animal.
Both novels give voice to the subaltern victims of the society, and they are milestones in the
freeing of the unprivileged classes from the bondage of the dominating national and
foreign powers.
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Keywords
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Kanın Çiçekleri, Indra Sinha, Hayvan'ın İnsanları, Yeni-Emperyalizm