Sociopolitical Reconstruction in Niyi Osundare’s The State Visit and Ahmed Yerima’s Hard Ground

Abstract

Socio-political reconstruction is a motif in African literature and it is for this reason, among others, African literature is regarded as literature of commitment since creative writers in the continent embed socio-political and economic problems plaguing the continent in their writings. Thus, African literature dwells more on the functional role of literature than the entertaining role, and that is why African literature is often described as functional literature. African writers see literature as a tool for societal re-education and liberation. They consider themselves as the conscience of the nation and terror on corrupt political leaders. Therefore, they take advantage of the opportunity literature affords and affect the lives of the people. They do so by portraying the everyday socio-political and economic challenges thereby making their literary art a commitment geared toward a reconstruction of the socio-political and economic systems of the society. This paper is therefore an attempt to highlight how Niyi Osundare in State Visit and Ahmed Yerima in Hard Ground depict and attempt to reconstruct the society.