The emergence of socialist realism in African literature: a study Of Sembene Ousmane, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Alex la Guma

Abstract

This study explores the emergence of Socialist Realism in African Literature. And to develop this theme, we have confined our study to a few works by three authors, namely Sembene Ousmane, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Alex La Guma. Although these writers have written many works, we believe only the works studied in this thesis can be justifiably called socialist realist. The thesis is composed of an introductory chapter, three main chapters, and a short conclusion. The introductory chapter is a theoretical ( exploration of the concept of realism in general, and socialist realism in particular. To place these concepts in their proper context, we have also given a brief theoretical background consisting mainly of what we understand by the role and place of Literature in society, its origins and development. Against this background, we have tried to show the development of realism in a dialectical and historical sense. In this way, we have been able to show that the fullest manifestation of the specific features of realism is associated with socialist realism which is now the leading creative method in modern society. Finally, in this section, we explore in depth the features of socialist realism, its historical development, and its relevance to the 'African situation'. The remaining part of this thesis deals with the following issues:- Chapter II is an attempt to explore the nature and extent to which socialist realist features are reflected in Sembene Ousmane's God's Bits of Wood and Xala. We have shown that features of socialist realism are discernible in these works. Chapter III is a study of Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Petals of Blood. We have also shown that the features of socialist realism can be traced in this novel. Chapter IV deals with two novels: In the Fog of the Seasons' End and Time of the Butcherbird by Alex La Guma. Our study reveals that these novels are socialist realist. In his attempt to artistically recreate the South African history, La Guma reflects socialist realist features in his art. Finally, our Conclusion is an attempt to high- light the fundamentals of this thesis. We have tried to show that in spite of the differences at the level of style, the basic features of socialist realism can be traced in their works. There is a broad similarity in the way they look at history and society. They converge in their areas of interest and concern. The conclusion is that, the creative method of socialist realism ha~certainly emerged in African Literature. And if regional representativeness of these writers is anything to go by, then this study is a proof of the growing importance of Socialist Realism in African Literature.