Culture Adoption in Wole Soyinka’s and Tsitsi...

Colonialism versus Origin Within Wole Soyinka’s and Tsitsi Dangarembga’s intricately weaved novels, both pieces of literature successfully intertwine to portray the estrangement and hardships dealt with through the main characters in settling within a separate environment apart from their origins; culture and adopting the colonial mentality which is imposed upon them. There is a negative portrayal of the colonial mentality that manifests onto the African society. There are three major categories within these two texts displaying the characters that forget that they play these roles within society as puppets of colonialism, those who rebel against the invading culture that seems to threaten their sense of identity and lastly those who†¦show more content†¦This brings the characters to lose grasp of their origins, which in turn are also losing a large part of their identities as well. As time progresses, the characters forget that they are playing roles according to the Colonists whims. T his is clearly portrayed through Wole Soyinka’s novel. As clearly displayed within the first act, There is a distinctive culture apart from the British introduced which portrays the different values and customs that the Africans perform. Amusa whom is an African sergeant in the native administration police working for the white British colonialists is an example of a puppet of colonialism turning against the Africans systematic way of life through the adoption of British customs and values. Though Amusa has converted towards the British Empire, he is still seen as inferior in Pilking’s eyes thus this shows that due to his origin, he will never be valued in the eyes of a colonist. Amusa fears the Engungun costume yet aids the British in stopping the African rituals, which deprive the African people of their beliefs. They don’t seem to realize that they are harming their own culture but rather see it as an alien culture once they have fully adopted other methods o f practice through the English culture. Joseph is also a prime example of a character that has taken up a role within the colonialist society through his acceptance of the catholic religion. Joseph is a convert influenced by the British and believes that