ABSTRACT
This research has set out
to capture the portrayal of the Nigerian Civil War in Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sunby
bringing out the episodes and scenes that defined the war. This is evident in
the experiences of the characters in the face of war which is captured through
their fears, pains and reactions as well as how it shaped their responses and
eventual personalities. The research beams its search light on the central
characters as they are representative microcosm of the larger Nigerian masses
that fell prey to the greed and brutality of the tussle for supremacy.
Incidences that point to this fact are adequately outlined. The Nigerian civil
war though not a product of imagination, is crafted in the genre of fiction so
as to accommodate certain issues that are relevant today, still retaining its
authenticity as a historical war fiction novel that expounds on the history of
the nation Nigeria. The theme of war is the trunk that grows to accommodate a lot
of issues that are central to the post colonial consciousness and the
challenges that are being battled with even today. From the study, it is
obvious that poor conflict management can quickly degenerate to regrettable
consequences.
TABLE
OF CONTENT
Title
Page………………………………………………………………………………..i
Approval
Page…………………………………………………….……………….……ii
Dedication
……………………………………………………………………………..iii
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………….iv
Table of
Contents……………………………………………………………………..v-vi
Abstract……………….………………………………………………………………..vii
CHAPTER
ONE:
INTRODUCTION
1.0
Background to the Study………………………………………………………....1-7
1.1 Statement of the
Problem…………………………………………………………..7-8
1.2 Scope and Limitations
of the Study………………………………………………...8-9
1.3 Purpose of the
Study…………………………………………………………………..9
1.4 Significance of the
study…………………………………………………….….…9-10
1.5 Methodology/research
Design…………………………………….……………...10-11
CHAPTER
TWO:
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.0 Introduction
…………………………………………………………………….12-13
2.1 Literature review
……………………………………………..…………………13-24
2.2 Theoretical framework
……………………………………..……………….….25-26
CHAPTER
THREEE:
DATA
AND TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
3.0 Textual analysis…………………………………………………………………...27
3.1 Plot
construction………………………………………………………………27-35
3.2 Thematic
preoccupation…………………………………………………….…35-38
3.3 Historical
incidences………………………………………………………..…38-40
3.4 Declaration of
independence……………………………………………….…40-41
3.5 Local flavour of
language………………………………………………..…….42-44
3.6
Characterisation………………………………………………………………...44-46
3.7 Findings…………………………………………………………………………47-48
CHAPTER
FOUR:
SUMMARY
AND CONCLUSION
4.0 Summary………………………………………………………………………49-50
4.1 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………50
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.0
Background to the Study
Nigeria
as a nation came into existence after the amalgamation of the southern and
northern protectoratesin 1914 by the British administration headed in Nigeria
by Lord Lugard. This was primarily because of their economic interest, and
Nigeria, having a vast territory afforded them the opportunity to loot as much
as they wanted.The British had earlier settled in the south and established
schools, churches etc. The Yoruba’swere educated home and abroad, and had
gotten used to the ways of the colonialists. The north however, posed a greater
challenge to the British because they saw the British as bringing a new culture
and religion; since they had embraced Islam centuries earlier. As a result, the
influence of the new culture could not penetrate easily to the north as it did
in the south.
Subsequently,Nigeria gained independence
from Britain and inherited a country that was torn along ethnic, cultural and
religious lines which was deliberately orchestrated. The northerners felt the
British had given them the torch to lead the new nation into the promise land.
The south on the other hand believed they were more equipped mentally and
educationally to steer the affairs of the newly birthed nation. The tussle for
whom to rule gave birth to coups and counter coups which finally hatched a full
blown civil war.Odenigbo asserts to the fact that “the only authentic identity
for the African is the tribe”(33).Indeed, this created and became a viable
weapon in the hands of the colonialists to orchestrate a division that became
rife with hatred. Thus, the amalgamationfavoured the British but worked against
the country generally because of the divergent tribes and ideologies which
could not coexist as a single entity.
Because of the topic under scrutiny, it is
essential to relay the brief history as well as thereasons that precipitated
the war. The Nigerian civil war was a reality that hit the emerging Nigerian
nation from 1967-1970. The three year war brought a lot of catastrophe to a
fledglingnation that had just been granted independence. Due to intense
population growth and the shortage of work in the east, the Igbo’s started migrating
to the northern part of the country that was not too open to the British
influence. Job opportunities abounded, and the land provided a fertile footing
for those that wanted to veer into agricultural production. Thus, the Igbo’s
flourished in trade and business generally.
Since Nigeria had gotten independence in
1960 and subsequently became a republic in 1962, the country began witnessing
the perils and challenges that came with it. Ojukwu observes that, successive
crises arose, notably the Tiv riots of 1960-1966, the western Nigerian
emergency of 1962, the national census controversy of 1962-1963, and the
federal crises of 1964-1965 amongst others. (299). Ojukwu notes that, these
issues cut across the geopolitical zones and presented an enormous challenge
that threatened the existence and survival of the newly formed country. To a
large extent, the Igbo’s felt marginalized because the constitution tended to
favour the northern part of the country which apportioned them greater power
and authority of the federal government. (299). The successive crisis
therefore, only served as a rehearsal of the actual crisis that would
subsequently culminate into a full fledge war. He further reiterates that, it
was impossible to resolve the problems that sprang up owing to gross
corruption, selfishness, suspicion, mistrust and an unhealthy rivalry amongst
the politicians, the rigging of elections in 1965 only being the ‘last straw’
(299).
The first military coup took place on
January 15,1966 under the leadership of Major General AguiyiIronsi. The coup
was referred to as the Igbo coup primarily because the key players were from
the Igbo speaking ethnic group. The prime minister was killed, the government
was taken over, and the Igbo’s were apportioned strategic positions in the new
government. Chimamanda captures this coup in a conversation between Odenigbo,
Professor Ezeka and other guests thus;
The
BBC is calling it an Igbo coup the chin-chin eating guest said “and they have a point. It was mostly
northerners who were in government” Professor Ezeka whispered,
his eyebrows arched, as if he could not believe he had
to say what was so obvious.”
The BBC should be asking their people who put the northerners in government to dominate
everybody. (158).
The
coup thus created and reaffirmed the rivalry that had existed amongst the major
ethnic groups. It createdsuspicion that the Igbo’s wanted to dominate the
country. Thus, a countercoup was plotted and executed in July 1966 leading to
the death of AguiyiIronsi, thereby making General Yakubu Gowon the head of the
new military government. This development created a lot of complications; the
Igbo’s in the north were killed in numbers thereby forcing a mass exodus since
the military government did little to stop it.
This sudden turn of events led to
ChukwuemekaOdemeguOjukwu, the military governor of the Eastern region’s
declaration of secession, as he pronounced the region an independent republic
called Biafra. The secession speech delivered by Ojukwu in 1966 is captured by
Adichie (200) thus:
Fellow
countrymen and women, you, the people of Eastern Nigeria: conscious of the
supreme authority of almighty God over all mankind, of your duty over
posterity. Aware that you can no longer be protected in your lives and in your
property by any government based outside Eastern Nigeria;determined to dissolve all political
and other ties between you and the former republic of Nigeria; having mandated me to proclaim on your behalf
and in your name that Eastern Nigeria be a sovereign independent republic, now
therefore, I do hereby solemnly proclaim that the territory and region knownas
and called Eastern Nigeria together with her continentalshelf and territorial
waters shall henceforth be an independent sovereign state of the name and title of The Republic of
Biafra.(200).
The act of secession culminated into a full fledge civil war that began in
June 1967 and lasted for three years leading to the massacre of millions of
innocent lives mostly civilians. Thus, the war was fought to integrate the
seceding faction (bring the Igbo’s back to one Nigeria) who felt marginalized
by the domination of the northerners. Also to control the key areas that housed
the country’s economic interest some of which were Onitsha and Port Harcourt
the hub of commerce and the centre of crude oil. The federal government blocked
access to the Biafrans and they could not have access to the outside
world. Food supplies were banned from
foreign and outsidesympathizers thereby creating widespread starvation. This
became synonymous with the war which eventually got the tag ”war by
starvation”.
In 1970, Ojukwu fled the war ravaged area
under the disguise of searching for peace. This led to the surrender of the
Biafrans to Nigeria which eventually brought the 30 month war to a halt in
January 1970.Adichie captures it thus:
His
Excellency announced that he was going ahead to search for peace.“In accord
with my own frequent affirmations that I would personally go anywhere to secure
peace and security for my people I am now travelling out of Nigeria to explore…
(489)
The
war did not just affect the Igbo’s, it was a Nigerian war that was necessitated
out of a burning desire to preserve the British heritage, to glue back the
pieces that were delicately knitted, and as well maintain the diverse unity
that became somewhat of a pride and an identity.
It is based on this background that
Adichie builds her fictional narrative bringing into focus issues that shaped
the war, the events that surrounded it as well as the personalities that played
pivotal roles in the entire war itself; and the political, economic socio
cultural as well as religious tensions that threatened the unity and survival
of the entity called Nigeria. The story recaptures the history, mistakes and
failings of our past leaders that created scars and wounds in the hearts of
many people and the country in general. She presents this to a new generation
of leaders that need to be abreast with what happened in the past life of their
mother country. In retelling the story of Nigeria, she takes us down memory
lane as far back as the 1960s where she unearths the rift that existed between
the Sardauna and the Premier of the western region. (37). The refusal of
northern schools to admit Igbo children, (54) as well as successive coups that
later gave way to the civil war. (156).
Chimamanda recreates the past by
weaving the Nigerian civil war around the central characters of Odenigbo,
Olanna, Richard, kainene and Ugwu. The story begins before the war in the early
sixties and ends shortly after it came to an end in the 1970s. The entire story
is shaped, told as seen through the eyes of these five characters, their varied
experiences forming the kernel and the very core of the story. Her fictional war
narrative creates the scenario where characters live and struggle with issues
of love, fear, division, death and separation, how a war could change
situations and reshape the lives of a people. In the story itself, kainene’s
perception of life and people has been greatly altered. The war changed every
character’s outlook to life.
In retelling the story of Nigerian
civil war, history is preserved and passed on from one generation to the other,
thus exploring the universality of war and the horrors it brings to the lives
of ordinary people. Adichie recounts the story of a woman having a calabash
with her daughter’s head (186) and draws other similar analogies of repulsion
from wars. She mentions ”the German woman who fled Hamburg with charred bodies
of their children stuffed in suitcases, the Rwandan women who pocketed tiny
parts of their mauled babies” (107). The gruesome murder of aunty Ifeka and her
husband; the mindless killings of Nnaemka and other Igbo people at the airport.
Scenes that bring to mind the bestiality of the human mind are expressly
portrayed. One good example is shown by Abdumalik’s murder of an entire family
he has come to know and accept as neighbours.
Apart from war being a major theme of
the novel, that of love and betrayal is essentially important; though it does
not becloud that of war in itself. The role of colonialism in post colonial
Africa contributes immensely to the war and its very outcome. The story itself
is immensely absorbing bringing into play the style and manner in which the
author crafts her narrative. The book is structured in four parts made of 37
chapters each divided into the early sixties (parts one and three) and the late
sixties (parts two and four) all of which aids and facilitate easy
assimilation.
Adichie’s style of writing is easily
comprehensible. She is simple, easy and direct. She brings together the
elements of fiction and history by turning on multiple voices that portray
divergent perceptions which enable the reader to view one war from the
different angles. Her use of language is important in the understanding of the
story. She uses language which tends to suit every character at any given
occasion. Ugwu’s informal expressions: “his people would say master had spit
this child out” “they say you did not
suck your mother’s breast. (124). There is also the use of code switching and
code mixing from English to vernacular, as well as mild usage of proverbs.
“Keduofagi? What is your name (15). “Nwoke m, are you sure you are not planning
to do something with her? (34). Colloquial expressions: ‘‘The white man will
poke and poke and poke the women in the dark but they will never marry them”,
‘He who brings kola brings life. You and yours will live, and mine will live;
let the eagle perch and let the dove perch and, if either decrees that the
other not perch, it will not be well for him”. She also employs a lot of
imagery: “The fridge breathed heavily in his ears”, “Even the grass will fight”
among others. All these contribute to making the story a good and masterful
historical piece that recalls to mind the Nigerian past artfully crafted
through the civil war as the underlying theme of the novel.
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This research work seeks to project the
brutality that ensued during the Nigerian civil war in Half of a Yellow Sun as it takes into account the resultant effect
on the lives of Olanna, Odenigbo, Ugwu, Richard and other characters as
representing the ordinary innocent people in the society. (How their lives are
influenced, affected and shaped by the brutal war). The researcher would bring
into focus issues relating to the massacre of millions of innocent Nigerians on
the account of uniting a nation that was divided from its very inception.
This problem is important and paramount
particularly in this dispensation. It would afford the people of today the
luxury of having a fore knowledge about the atrocities unleashed out on
innocent civilians, and that the country once passed through a torrid time in a
bid to manage and preserve the British heritage that was bequeathed to them. It
would also educate the leaders of today in trying to avoid the very mistakes
that plunged the country into war.
The consequence of not subjecting this
problem to a study will facilitate a false portrayal of the war to a new
generation. It may as well lead to the repetition of the same incident that
gave birth to the war. The new generation may grow oblivious of the past
pertaining to their motherland. This research will also encourage unity amongst
the divers ethnicities in order to foster a one united front.
1.2 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The research work beams its focus on the
Nigerian civil war as portrayed in the text Half
of a Yellow Sun which is the primary book of study. To a large extent, the
central theme of war will come under scrutiny. However, the research will
circumnavigate around this sphere taking into consideration the circumstances
that surrounded the characters as well as their responses to these problems.
Certain events such as the date of the war, areas of conflict as regards to
setting and names are actually factual which will be tackled as reflected in
the novel and captured by the author.
Apart from the novel being an important
source of material, the Nigerian civil war serves as the backbone of the whole
research. Issues, materials, events pertaining to the war will be reflective in
the research. The research therefore covers the duration of the war but will
not however, be touching on events or issues that are not captured by the writer
as this may not be important to the topic under study.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
This study intends to investigate and
examine clearly how the Nigerian civil war otherwise referred to as the Biafran
war is portrayed in the book. It will show how the war affected the characters
as well as their response in the face of conflict. The research will outline
scenes and areas in the book that support this very assertion of the war as
crafted and portrayed by the writer through the various characters and situations.
The research will also seek to look at the effect of the Nigerian civil war on
the lives of the characters that lived through it in the text.
The research will seek to support why Half of a Yellow Sun is a historical
narration of the Nigerian past through the lives of some characters as well as
places and events that shape setting and plot of the entire story.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research work will benefit students
and also aid the general public in relating and identifying with their country’s
past. In that, the history of a country is as important as its present. So much
as the past is past, it aids in shaping the future. Therefore, the knowledge of
its pains, sufferings and cry’s will help shape a better generation and a
greater future.
The research will also serve as a source
of advice to our past and present leaders so as not to repeat similar and
familiar episodes that caused the civil war- negligence,greed, mistrust,
corruption to mention but a few.
The research will also help in presenting
the issues raised in the text as it will serve as a point of reference to
literature and history students as well as the general public as regarding the
Nigerian civil war. This would be done through the presentation of some vital
facts as captured and portrayed by the writer.Also, it will add to the existing
bodyofknowledge pertaining to literature, history and the Nigerian civil war as
a major theme of the text. This will also present a springboard for future
studies.
1.5 METHODOLOGY AND
RESEARCH DESIGN
There would be a general study of the text
concerned, as well as a brief historical narration of the British preoccupation
and issues surrounding the war. It is basically a textual analysis of the bookHalf of a Yellow Sun. No field work is
required. It is a library research and the collection and analysis of data will
be generated from the primary text as well as the secondary sources which
include historical, political and colonial writings so as to facilitate a
better understanding of the research in general.
The work is important to this research
question because it captures and portrays glaringly the Nigerian civil war. The
text in itself is an example of the horrors, pains and sufferings the country
went through as a result of the war. This is evidenced throughout the novel.
The general study will be carried out incorporating works on the Nigerian civil
war. This would include the use of journals, articles, online essays, newspaper
articles. Critical reviews on the book and the war in general will be
adequately considered.
Chapter one comprises of
the background of the study, statement of the problem, scope/ limitation of the
study, purpose of the study, significance of the study, methodology/ research
design as well as the theoretical framework. Chapter two will deal with
literature review, while chapter three will handle the textual and data
analysis. The chapter four: summary and conclusion.
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