Introduction to Literary Theories and Criticisms (Enla 422), 2011
Example: Classism and alienation in ‘Xala’
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Classism and alienation in ‘Xala’ Xala (1974) is a satirical comedy about the misadventures of one of the new African elite whose post independence fortunes are marred and then wrecked by the curse of Xala – impotence. From the very beginning of the novel, Sembene’s assessment of the neo-colonial bourgeoisie in to shocking metaphor; no sooner is the French ruling order over turned then it is replaced by the African equivalent – a conclave of business – suited men. The protagonist, El-Hadji, is a man in his fifties living in Dakar with his two wives. El-Hadji who has become the beneficiary of the neo-colonial order is a wealthy French speaking importer of European luxury – good, who not only rides a white Mercedes, but has his chauffeur wash the car in imported mineral water. In Xala, there are observable classes which reflect different social relationships (struggles). Throughout the novel, there is a game of opposition between the nouveous riche and the people. But sembene does not waste time in making a dialectical logic of the two classes’ intersection. Despite this, firstly, there are the new middle class who are the inheritors of the role of the colonialists. In the novel, the people who belong to this class are featured by distinctive roles. For instance, the bourgeoisie, who are the rich, privileged, or the fortunate, constitute the neo-colonial African leaders. These are new African elite (Senegalese elite) a concave of business suited Africans and their white “advisors” who bring them suite cases stuffed with money. Under this category are found the “business men” who had come together from different sectors of the business community to form the “business men’s Group”. The less fortunate are victims of the bourgeoisie, who deprive them of basic needs and view them with their utter contempt. They are dominated by the bourgeoisie class nature in the novel which marks that they are unheard, muted, and rejected constituting the lower – class or the poor urban people of Senegal. They are alienated from their inheritance, their names falsified and thrown into prison, being considered as aliens. El-Hadji once, in the novel, called them ‘human rubbish’ but later they had managed to submit him to them by debasement and revenge, after arranging his xala. This is one of the symbolic class implications of the novel. The Socioeconomic status of El Hadji’s family and the business men (the upper class) is presented in comparison with that of the masses of crippled beggars (the lower class). After managing to take control of the heart of the country’s economy, El-Hadji and the business men conquered all branches of the economy which they felt were theirs by right (p-1). The whole sale trade, public works contracts, the pharmacies, the private clinics, the bakeries, the manufacturing industry, the bookshops and cinemas. They selfishly monopolized the whole economy. This marks how the transition from colonialism to neo colonialism went about in Senegal. Soon, the French ruling order overturned, it is replaced by the African equivalent business suited Senegalese people. These people who appeared to be neocolonial bourgeoisie, are the ones who managed to control the post colonial fortunes. One is, El-Hadji, who is a wealthy French speaking importer of European luxury good, who not only rides a white Mercedes, but has his chauffeur wash his car in imported mineral water. 2.4.1.6 Post-colonialism Literally, post-colonialism refers to the period following the decline of colonialism, e.g., the end or lessening of domination by European empires. Although the term post-colonialism generally refers to the period after colonialism, the distinction is not always made. In its use as a critical approach, post-colonialism refers to "a collection of theoretical and critical strategies used to examine the culture (literature, politics, history, and so forth) of former colonies of the European empires, and their relation to the rest of the world" (Makaryk 155 - see General Resources below). Among the many challenges facing postcolonial writers are the attempts both to resurrect their culture and to combat preconceptions about their culture. Edward Said, for example, uses the word Orientalism to describe the discourse about the East constructed by the West. Major figures include Edward Said Homi Bhabha, Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Spivak, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Salman Rushdie, Jamaica Kincaid, and Buchi Emecheta. Download 333 Kb. Share with your friends:
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