NoViolet Bulawayo’s Glory as an Allegory of Repressive Power in Africa

Abstract

This research project report examines how NoViolet Bulawayo‘s novel, Glory, functions as an allegory of repressive political power in Zimbabwe in general and Africa at large. To attain this, I employ Frederic Jameson‘s concept of ―national allegory‖ to investigate how in the premise of Zimbabwe and African politics, private stories of fictional individuals can be read allegorically to allude to wider political issues beyond the immediate an observation I agree with in this study. Jameson‘s theory postulates that all Third World narratives are to be treated as national allegories. Therefore, through this study, I seek to investigate if the private lives of individual characters in Glory point to broader socio-political concerns. Bulawayo‘s Glory richly portrays decadence in a postcolonial setting. Although Postcolonial decadence has been a subject of wide debate and research, Bulawayo offers a fresh perspective in the narration of decadence through the use of animal characters and digital media. The research draws upon the theories of narratology and post-colonialism. Bulawayo‘s clever characterization offers a fresh perspective on postcolonial decadence. This research project report adds knowledge to studies done on Bulawayo‘s fiction by attempting a Postcolonial and narratological inquiry.