“POLITICS, REBELLIOUS AGITATION AND THE NIGERIAN FICTION: AN OVERVIEW OF ISIDORE OKPEWHO’S TIDES”

Abstract

The nexus that exists between politics and literature cannot be wished away; it has remained timeless. Within the domain of Nigerian fiction, writers for several ages have crafted their narratives using diverse elements of political events in the society. Isidore Okpewho in Tides is certainly not different. The focus of this paper is Okpewho’s creative ingenuity in addressing the painful and ever present injustices the people of his homestead, Niger delta region of Nigeria have suffered in the hands of the foreigners working for the oil exploration companies in collaboration with the local leaders. In doing this, the writer exposes the insensitivity of these oppressors to the plights of the poor fishermen and farmers who are daily physically and psychologically assaulted by the enemies of their wellbeing. The Marxist literary theory is found germane in discussing the nitty-gritty of this prose fiction. In conclusion, the inevitability of political events influencing significantly the corpus of Nigerian fiction is affirmed