Not long ago, the topic of drug abuse was considered a taboo subject in African literature. Now issues like drug abuse are starting to be openly addressed. This opens up a completely new possibility for African authors to bring in cultural aspects in their narrations. Within the scope of this bachelor thesis, the role of drug consumption within the African context will be analysed by looking at the role drug abuse plays in contemporary African fiction and in how far this representation in literature reflects the actual cultural situation in Africa. Abubakar Adam Ibrahim's "Season of Crimson Blossoms" and Chris Albani's "Graceland" will hereby serve as the basis for the literary analysis. By means of a literature sociological approach, the African social milieu and conformities of cultural and narrative structure will be elaborated.
Both books are contemporary African respectively Nigerian works that deal with drug abuse. While Graceland was published in 2004, Season of Crimson Blossoms had its initial publication in 2015.
At a glance
- Uses a sociological approach to literature to examine African social milieu
- Considers the Biafran war and child soldiers in Graceland
- 18 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. African Culture
3. Africa and Drugs
4. Drug Abuse in African Literature
4.1. Abubakar Adam Ibrahim's Season of Crimson Blossoms
4.2. Chris Abani's Graceland
5. Women and Drugs
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines the role of drug consumption and trafficking in contemporary African fiction and asks how literary representations relate to the social and cultural context of drug use in Africa. It approaches the question through a sociological reading of Abubakar Adam Ibrahim's Season of Crimson Blossoms and Chris Abani's Graceland.
- Culture, social norms and historical change
- Drug consumption, trafficking and social conditions
- Literary representations of violence and economic hardship
- Public spaces and networks associated with drugs
- Gender and the portrayal of drug use
- Connections between fiction and its social context
Excerpt from the Book
3. Africa and Drugs
Having defined the cultural construct in the previous chapter, this chapter will elaborate the current situation of drug abuse in Africa, its history and its impact on society. Furthermore, it will be clarified which kinds of drugs are currently in circulation and what kind of risks those bring with them.
There seems to be a rise in drug consumption in African countries. "Africa is said to be imperilled by an 'invisible tide' of drug trafficking and abuse, and several African countries declare themselves as 'crisis point' and declare drug abuse to be a 'national disaster'" (Carrier & Klantschnig 1). The thread is greater than ever before, drug abuse might get out of hand and cause damage beyond repair (cf. Carrier & Klantschnig 16). Drugs have been abused from time immemorial and treaties were only gradually established. Before the 20th century drug trade used to be unrestricted. That changed, however, when opium got introduced. Countries signed treaties that would restrict the trade of opium and other drugs. Due to prohibition, drugs could not be sold legally anymore, and so the trade of drugs switched to the black market. After WWII, when illicit trade was increasingly high, new treaties were introduced (cf. Carrier & Klantschnig 3, 18). "[I]nternational treaties give some flexibility to governments in how they are actualized: there are a variety of drug control practices across Africa, as instanced by the repressive Nigerian and a more medically oriented Tanzanian drug policy" (Carrier & Klantschnig 13).
The drug that is prevalently cultivated and consumed throughout Africa, is cannabis. According to a report from 1999, one possible reason for cannabis being the most widespread drug is its cheap purchase price; it is said to be sold even cheaper than bottled beer (cf. Carrier & Klantschnig 32). And while nowadays the reason for its consumption might mainly be one of pleasure, in earlier days the use of cannabis had a cultural background. "[C]annabis was not just used for its intoxicating properties, but also as a medicine, and many traditional healers [...] still use all parts of the plant to cure various ailments" (Carrier & Klantschnig 33). Drug abuse has a great impact on whole societies and communities. There are already concerns that the consumption of drugs might have a fatal and protracted effect on the continent's development. Due to drug consumption the African population is said to be at risk of sliding into poverty and regression. Also, the tending increase in corruption and human rights violations in Africa can be attributed to drug abuse. Even in the political sphere detrimental consequences can be perceived as there is a development towards repressive politics (cf. Carrier & Klantschnig 2). All these developments illustrate that the issue of drug abuse does not only affect the private individual but the society as a whole.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The introduction sets out the relationship between drug use, social context and contemporary African fiction. It presents the two novels and the sociological approach guiding their analysis.
2. African Culture: This chapter considers definitions of culture, socialisation, traditions, hierarchy and gender roles. It also discusses historical change and globalisation.
3. Africa and Drugs: The chapter reviews the history of drug control, substances including cannabis and codeine, and the social and health issues associated with drug use and trafficking.
4. Drug Abuse in African Literature: The literary analysis examines drug consumption, trafficking, violence and social circumstances in the two novels, attending to characters and the spaces they inhabit.
5. Women and Drugs: This chapter considers gendered portrayals of drug use in the novels alongside accounts of women's drug consumption in other sources.
6. Conclusion: The conclusion brings together the literary and cultural discussion, reflecting on the relationship between representations in the novels and the wider social context.
Keywords
African fiction, Nigerian literature, drug abuse, drug trafficking, sociology of literature, African culture, Season of Crimson Blossoms, Graceland, gender, cannabis, codeine, social inequality
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this thesis about?
It examines how drug use and trafficking are represented in contemporary African fiction and how those representations relate to their social and cultural context.
What are its central themes?
The thesis addresses culture, drug consumption and trafficking, violence, social inequality, gender and literary representation.
What is the main research question?
It asks what role drug abuse plays in the selected novels and to what extent its literary representation reflects the contemporary African cultural situation.
What method does the author use?
The author uses a sociological approach to literature, reading the novels in relation to sources on African social and cultural conditions.
What does the main analysis cover?
It examines characters, drug-related spaces, consumption, trafficking and violence in Season of Crimson Blossoms and Graceland.
Which keywords characterise the thesis?
Key terms include Nigerian literature, drug abuse, drug trafficking, sociology of literature, African culture, gender, cannabis and codeine.
How does the thesis approach gender?
It considers how men and women are associated with drugs in the novels and compares those portrayals with accounts of women's drug use from other sources.
What historical context is discussed in relation to Graceland?
The analysis considers the novel's reference to the Biafran war and its depiction of young soldiers in connection with drug use.
- Quote paper
- Linda Stockhammer (Author), 2018, The Role of Drug Abuse in Contemporary African Fiction, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/512721
