ABSTRACT
The Concept of Class struggle describes the constant conflict among
the existing strata in every society. The purpose of this academic
research is to explore the meaning and important of class struggle in
the context of the selected texts. The theoretical framework for this
research is the Marxist-Leninist theory, which could be simply
summarized as the reaction of the exploited to get rid of exploitation
and the exploiters. Various styles used by the duo of Iyayi and Falls is
described. In the light of which class struggle is perceived as a
necessity to relieve social strains of inequality and injustice.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Background
1.3 Aim of study
1.4 Scope of study
1.5 Justification of study
1.6 Research Methodology
1.7 Research questions
1.8 Definition of terms
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Overview
2.2 Class and its determinants
2.3 Relevant historic instances of class struggle
2.4 Contemporary instances of class struggle
2.5 Causes of class struggle
CHAPTER THREE
ANALYSIS OF FESTUS IYAYI’S VIOLENCE
3.1 Brief Biography of Festus Iyayi
3.2 Analysis of Major characters
3.3 Survey of class struggle in Violence
3.4 Class struggle as revelation of other themes in Violence
3.5 Literary techniques used in Festus Iyayi’s Violence
CHAPTER FOUR
ANALYSIS OF ANIMATA SOW FALL’S THE BEGGARS’ STRIKE
4.1 Brief Biography of Animata Sow Fall
4.2 Analysis of Major characters
4.3 Survey of class struggle in The Beggars’ strike
4.4 Literary techniques used in Animata Sow Fall’s The Beggars’ strike
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Conclusions and Recommendation
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The concept of class struggle describes a constant conflict among the
existing strata in the society. In the Selected texts, Animata Sow
Fall’s The Beggars’ strike and Festus iyayi’s Violence,
themes pertaining to class struggle were described, Class struggle
becomes a necessity in any society with a wide gap between the ‘haves’
and the ‘have nots’. This academic project examines the extent to which
the duo of Animata and Iyayi utilized the theme – Class struggle, in
their novels, The beggars’ strike and Violence respectively.
1.2 BACKGROUND
Karl Marx wrote to Friedrich Engels in 1882: “you know very well
where we found our idea of class struggle; we found it in the work of
the French historians who talked about the race struggle”. Class
struggle predates Karl Marx; one may boldly say that it describes the
history of all existing human civilizations.
Social classes are often described as either upper, middle or lower
based on income, wealth or estate. However, Marxist notion of class in a
capitalist setting is based on the control of means of production. Karl
Marx describes two main classes:
- Proletariat (Labour)
- Bourgeoisie (Capitalist)
The Proletariat (labour) makes a living directly from their labour
whereas the Bourgeoisie controls the means of production, exploiting the
proletariat, living off the surplus value on cheap labour. This may be
perceived as a form of neocolonialism, labour is exploited to create
economic and socio-political dominance. A most shameful version of
Apartheid in post colonial Africa, perpetrated by Africans on fellow
Africans. Burdened by extreme poverty and hunger, the masses inevitably
revolt against oppression. The ensuing struggle, though often violent,
non-violent struggle is not uncommon.
In the selected texts, forms of class struggle includes: industrial
strike actions, protests, rallies, pilferage, sabotage etc Class
struggle in Africa is inextricably linked to corruption and injustice.
In an unjust society where wealth is unevenly distributed and the rule
of law biased, class struggle is seen as a necessity. It becomes the
only available option for the masses to fight for economic and social
relevance. Class struggle is a brave attempt at reshaping capitalism
into a more equitable system of governance and giving birth to a truly
egalitarian, economically viable and politically stable Nation. Class
struggle is a bold step towards achieving a true utopian society, which
is the ultimate Marxist phantom.
1.3 AIM OF STUDY
This study is a modest attempt at providing insight into the concept
of class struggle in Africa. Based on the works of two distinguished
proletarian writers, Animata Sow fall and Festus Iyayi in their works –
The Beggars’ strike and Violence, the following objectives were brought
to light:
- Definition of and description of the concept of class;
- Identification and description of the types of class in the selected texts;
- Definition of class struggle;
- Identification of similarities and differences between francophone
and Anglophone African societies in terms of class and class struggle;
- Identification of benefits and side-effects of class struggle;
- Providing a workable solution to the problems of class struggle in Africa; and
- Providing reliable answers to research questions set at the beginning of the study.
1.4 SCOPE OF STUDY
The focus of this study is Africa, with Senegal and Nigeria as case studies as portrayed by the duo of Animata and Iyayi in The beggars’ strike and Violence
respectively. This research investigates how judiciously the
understudied works reveal the existence of class struggle and other
sub-themes like, oppression and negritude in the context of francophone
and Anglophone Africa. The choice of works based on Senegal and Nigeria
is motivated by the fact that, the two countries give a fair
representation of West Africa, giving the Francophone and the Anglophone
point of view. This is imperative as it is almost certainly impossible
to study works from every part of Africa considering the constraints of
time and resources.
1.5 JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY
The significance of this research apart from providing a reliable
source of information for future researchers on class struggle is also
of great value in appraisal of democratic values in Africa.
Understanding the role of class struggle in society will strengthen
Africa’s nascent democracy and promote good governance.
This research is also a celebration of artistic imagination and
dexterity displayed by these distinguished African Writers, Animata
Sowfall and Festus Iyayi.
1.6 METHODOLOGY AND THEORY
This research is both qualitative and descriptive, with thematic
analysis of the texts. Themes of class struggle and related sub-themes
like poverty, rule of law, democracy etc were adequately analyzed.
This research is based on the Marxist-Leninist theory of the society,
which could be simply paraphrased as: The exploiters oppress the
exploited while the exploited attempt to get ride of exploitation and
the exploiters.
The sample frame is Senegal and Nigeria which were the setting in the
selected texts, this research also made use of demographic analysis as
well as a general overview of the
Characters and the artistic styles employed by the authors.
1.6.1 DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA
SENEGAL
Senegal a former French colony in West Africa, capital is Dakar. The
current president is Abdoulaye Wade, re-elected in March 2007.
On an Area of 76000 sq mi bounded by Mauritania to the north,
Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west
and to the east is Mali .On August 20, 1960 Senegal became an
independent republic with the famous Leopold Sedar Senghor as first
president. Previous unicameral system was abandoned in 2007, Senegal now
run a bicameral parliament, consisting of the National Assemble and the
Senate. Senegal is divided into 14 divisions, headed by local
administrators appointed and accountable to the president. Power is
intensely centralized and this often leads to criticism of Senegalese
political structure, state and religion are not clearly demarcated as a
majorly Islamic population, leaders of Islamic groups called the
marabouts often play major role in politics.
Senegal has a wide variety of ethnic groups and, as in most West
African countries, several languages are widely spoken. The Wolof are
the largest single ethnic group in Senegal at 43 percent; the Fula and
Toucouleur (also known as Halpulaar’en, literally “Pulaar-speakers”)
(24 percent) are the second biggest group, followed by others that
include the Serer (15 percent), Lebou (10 percent), Jola (4 percent),
Mandinka (3 percent), Maures or Naarkajors, Soninke, Bassari and many
smaller communities (9 percent).
The main industries include food processing, mining, cement,
artificial fertilizer, chemicals, textiles, refining imported petroleum,
and tourism. Exports include fish, chemicals, cotton, fabrics,
groundnuts, and calcium phosphate
Population Senegal has a population of over 12.5 million
Total GDP $13.472billion and per capita of $ 1,026 (2010 estimate)
Life expectancy 55.6 years (2008)
2010 Mo Ibrahim index of governance No.14 with a score of 56%
NIGERIA
The country is located in West Africa on an area of 356,667 sq mi and
shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and
Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south
lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean. The three largest and
most influential ethnic groups in Nigeria are the Hausa, Igbo and
Yoruba. In terms of religion Nigeria is roughly split half and half
between Muslims and Christians with a very small minority who practice
traditional religion. Capital city is Abuja. Present president is
Goodluck Jonathan. Nigeria a former British colony became independent in
1st October 1960
The president’s power is checked by a Senate and a House of
Representatives, which are combined in a bicameral body called the
National Assembly. The Senate is a 109-seat body with three members from
each state and one from the capital region of Abuja; members are
elected by popular vote to four-year terms. The House contains 360 seats
and the number of seats per state is determined by population. Nigeria
economy is largely based on petroleum.
Population is about 152million (2010estimate)
Total (nominal) GDP is $173.428 billion with per capita at $1,142
Life expectancy is 47 years
2010 Mo Ibrahim index of governance No.37 with a score of 43%
1.6.2 MARXIST-LENINIST THEORY OF SOCIETY
Marxism-Leninism is coined to denote the ideology that Vladimir Lenin
had built upon the thought of Karl Marx. There are two broad areas that
have set apart Marxism-Leninism as a school of thought.
First, Lenin’s followers generally view his additions to the body of
Marxism as the practical aspect of Marx’s original theoretical
contributions of the 19th century. Lenin called this time-frame the era
of Imperialism.
Joseph Stalin wrote that; “Leninism grew up and took shape under
the conditions of imperialism, when the contradictions of capitalism had
reached an extreme point, when the proletarian revolution had become an
immediate practical question, when the old period of preparation of the
working class for revolution had arrived at and passed into a new
period, that of direct assault on capitalism”
The most important consequence of a Leninist-style theory of
Imperialism is the strategic need for workers in the industrialized
countries to come together with the oppressed nations contained within
their respective countries and colonies abroad in order to overthrow
capitalism. This is the source of the slogan, which shows the Leninist
conception that not only the proletariat, as is traditional to Marxism,
are the sole revolutionary force, but all oppressed people; “Workers and
Oppressed Peoples of the World, Unite!”
Second, the other distinguishing characteristic of Marxism-Leninism
is how it approaches the question of organization. Lenin believed that
the traditional model of the Social Democratic parties of the time,
which was a loose, multitendency organization was inadequate for
overthrowing the Tsarist regime in Russia. He proposed a cadre of
professional revolutionaries that disciplined itself under the model of
Democratic Centralism.
In solving the national question Leninism profer the following thesis:
a] The world is divided into two camps: the camp of a handful of
civilised nations, which possess finance capital and exploit the vast
majority of the population of the globe; and the camp of the oppressed
and exploited peoples in the colonies and dependent countries, which
constitute that majority;
b] The colonies and dependent countries, oppressed and exploited by
finance capital, constitute a vast reserve and a very important source
of strength for imperialism;
c] The revolutionary struggle of the oppressed peoples in the
dependent and colonial countries against imperialism is the only road
that leads to their emancipation from oppression and exploitation
1.7 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following questions were modestly answered by this research:
- What kind of ideological vision is demonstrated by Animata Sow fall and Festus Iyayi?
- Race struggle is the predecessor of class struggle. Discuss
- What are the similarities and differences between class struggle and race struggle?
- Class struggle is an inevitable pre-requisite to achieving economic growth and socio-political stability in Africa. Discuss
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Class: A set, collection, group, or configuration
containing members regarded as having certain attributes or traits in
common; a kind or category, Social rank or caste
Class struggle: the Marxism the continual conflict
between the capitalist and working classes for economic and political
power Also called class war
Race struggle: conflicts or war between races and civilizations
Proletariat: The class of industrial wage earners
who, possessing neither capital nor production means, must earn their
living by selling their labor
Bourgeoisie: In Marxist theory, the social group
opposed to the proletariat in the class struggle. The ruling class of
the two basic classes of capitalist society, consisting of capitalists,
manufacturers, bankers, and other employers. The bourgeoisie owns the
most important of the means of production, through which it exploits the
working class
Capitalism: An economic system in which the means of
production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and
development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of
profits gained in a free market
Means of production: the raw materials and means of labour (tools, machines, etc.) employed in the production process
Marxist-Leninist theory: An expanded form of Marxism
that emphasizes Lenin’s concept of imperialism as the final stage of
capitalism and shifts the focus of struggle from developed to
underdeveloped countries.