BEN OKRI’S VISION OF POST-INDEPENDENCE: A NEO-COLONIAL READING OF DANGEROUS LOVE

Abstract

The present study aims at examining the Neo-colonial aspect in Ben Okri’s Dangerous Love. It is a critique of Neo-colonialism as a form of the postcolonial theory that is concerned with perpetuating colonialism in Nigeria after independence. The main argument of the study is that, through presenting his vision of post-independence in Nigeria. Ben Okri wants to present his own vision of how to fight the different forms of colonialism after independence through portraying characters that are capable of presenting this gloomy vision. Of primary concern to this study is the way Okri sketches the Nigerian young people exemplified in the character of Omovo, the protagonist, and his friends. The study further examines the different types of the Nigerian people including the main characters and their reactions to the Neo-colonial practices and atrocities committed by the elite of the natives who represent the ex-colonial powers. Through a close textual analysis the study also investigates the different forms of disintegration resulting from Neo-colonialism as a form of perpetuating colonialism. Okri uses Omovo, as the first person narrator, to show his rejection of this disintegration as well as the degradation of life represented in the moral corruption of the ruling elite. In so doing, the author employs characterization as his tools in presenting the theme of his novel.