Postcolonial Political Manipulation of the Marginalized: A Critical Analysis of Ogbeche Frank Ogodo's Harvest of Corruption
Abstract
This study conducts a critical analysis of postcolonial political manipulation in Ogbeche Frank Ogodo’s play, Harvest of Corruption (2013). Employing postcolonial theory as a framework, the research examines how the play dramatizes the systemic exploitation of marginalized citizens by a corrupt political elite in a post-independence African state. Through a qualitative textual analysis, the study reveals that political corruption permeates all societal institutions, leading to economic devastation, injustice, and the moral degradation of both the powerful and the vulnerable. The analysis demonstrates that characters such as Chief Ade-Amaka, Ochuole, Aloho, and Justice Odili function as metaphors for the entrenched networks of corruption and the profound human cost they exact. The study concludes that Ogodo’s work serves as a powerful indictment of the neocolonial patterns of governance that continue to perpetuate oppression and social injustice long after the end of formal colonial rule.
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Introduction
Political corruption represents a profound and persistent crisis in post-independence Africa, effectively perpetuating cycles of exploitation that echo the colonial past. This corruption typically stems from weak governance and a systemic disregard for the welfare of the marginalized. Across the continent, a glaring disparity persists where political elites accumulate vast wealth under favorable terms, while technocrats and the general populace grapple with inadequate livelihoods. This dynamic indicates that Africa remains caught in a colonial matrix of power, characterized by sustained control over economics, authority, and knowledge (Quijano, 2007, pp. 168-178). Frantz Fanon (1961) observed that colonialism seeks to impose its logic not only on a colony’s present but indelibly on its future, a legacy that postcolonial states must vigorously confront.
In this context, postcolonial literature assumes the vital role of social critique. While theorists like Eagleton (1999) note the risks of cultural overemphasis, the value of such literature lies in its capacity to challenge entrenched power structures (p. 26). African writers, therefore, bear a responsibility to act as societal watchdogs. This study focuses on Ogbeche Frank Ogodo’s Harvest of Corruption (2013) to investigate the literary depiction of postcolonial political manipulation. The play offers a searing portrayal of a political class that, having inherited the state, continues to employ colonial tactics of control and exploitation against its own citizens.
Conclusion
The characters examined from Ogbeche Frank Ogodo’s Harvest of Corruption highlight how people suffer the effects of corrupt practices exhibited by the political class in Africa. In the play, the playwright uses well-crafted characters and characterisation to reveal the general social and political patterns prevalent in Africa. The characters are metaphorical as they are symbols or representations of the very real people in the present situations in Africa. In most cases, leadership styles and actions are influenced by postcolonial ideologies and are involved in corrupt practices. The spirit of patriotism has died in them. The nature of the effects of bad leadership is revealed in the characters who suffered in the play while only few important characters represent individuals who seek justice and change from the malfeasance that characterises their society
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https://doi.org/10.1080/09502380601164353
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