GHOST CHARACTERIZATION IN AFRICAN PROSE: A STUDY OF SELECTED NOVELS FROM KENYA, NIGERIA, AND MOZAMBIQUE

Abstract

Characterization is an essential element of the African novel. Writers often use characters in novels to put forward their messages. Characters are mostly the mouthpieces of the authors. In Africa, the use of ghosts as characters in creative texts has been a recurrent factor, probably because African fiction has a connection with African oral narratives, which often feature ghost characters. However, there have been little studies on the use of ghost characters in African prose; and how such characters operate to reflect the social and the interpersonal conflicts to reveal the realities in the African continent. This research attempted to fill this gap by examining how ghost characters reflect the social environment and the interpersonal conflicts in the African novels. The study analyzed Under the Frangipani by Mia Couto from Mozambique, The Famished Road by Ben Okri from Nigeria and Terrorist of the Aberdare by Ng’ang’a Mbugua from Kenya. The study has been guided by two objectives; first, to examine how ghost characterization reflects the social environment in the three selected African novels; and second, to examine how ghost characterization reflects the interpersonal conflicts in the three selected African novels. Magical realism theory and in particular Wendy’s (2004) strand has been used to interpret the texts. The study has shown that the selected authors have employed the five principles in the Strand to capture the issues of social environment and interpersonal conflicts in African continent. The literature review showed the gap and indicated that characterization is a crucial literary element in communication with targeted audiences. Qualitative research design has been used to elicit responses on the research area. Close text analysis of the selected novels was carried out to show how the three authors’ used ghost characters to reflect the social environment and the interpersonal conflicts. The data from the primary texts was analyzed as per the stated objectives. The study comprises of six chapters. Chapter one includes background to the study that highlights the problem, objectives of the study and the research questions. Chapter Two comprises the literature review and the theoretical framework. Chapter Three has methodology and ethical considerations. Ghost characterization in reflection of social environment is captured in chapter four, which established that ghost characters reflect social aspects such as African religiosity, social vices like immorality, superstitions, and taboos. On economic; it revealed issues of corruption, economic exploitation, class conflicts, and poverty, lastly, under the political aspect; it explored political violence, bad leadership, and political instability as entrenched in colonial and post-colonial African countries. On ghost, reflection of the interpersonal conflicts in chapter five it has showed that ghost characters appearance causes tensions among other characters. Ghosts’ action, as well as verbal expressions can heighten or lessen conflicts between individuals. The findings in chapter six revealed that ghost characters exhibit the rich African traditions, beliefs and the challenges that engulfed Africans during the colonial and post-colonial period. This has been made possible through the inimitable ability of ghost characters to oscillate in fanciful and phenomenal realms. It also showed that ghost characterization is used to mimic the interpersonal conflicts that results from differences in beliefs, values, goals, and desires for esteem, control, affiliations, and wishes.