Protest, democracy and social development in Nigeria: reflections on contemporary Nigerian writings

Abstract

Literary productions from Nigeria since inception have envisioned a utopian society. Driven by protest to foster sociopolitical development, the literary artist from the days of Chinua Achebe in Things Fall Apart** engaged in and has remained relevant to emerging trends of discourses in Nigeria. While forebear nationalists protested against colonial incursions and the attending destabilization of the hitherto organized Nigerian society, contemporary postcolonial writers contend with realities militating against the nation’s fragile democracy. Their creativities beyond entertainment capture the striking fears, yearnings, hopes and aspirations of Nigerians. Consciously, the artists instruct, enlighten and mobilize the society in the pursuit of nationalist objectives. This has been at the heart of literary expeditions across generations of writing in Nigeria. In the contemporary times, literary artists thematise on issues that impede Nigeria’s drive towards nationhood. They make their works reflect the frightening realities of Nigeria’s democracy. This is the crux of this study. I hope to demonstrate here that literary engagements in Nigeria especially in the contemporary era have been in the interest of utopia attainment. Through selected works, this study argues that literary artists base their literary expedition on protest, challenging the dysfunctional democratic system in Nigeria. It concludes that by conscientiously objecting to the prevailing sociopolitical atmosphere in the country, these writers champion the discourse of nationhood and nationalism in a bid to consolidate Nigeria’s democracy against prevailing neocolonial tendencies and postcolonial disillusionments.