A POSTCOLONIAL READING OF AMA ATA AIDOO'S ANOWA AND MAISHE MAPONYA'S THE HUNGRY EARTH

Abstract

Literature has always been read in a variety of ways, some of which struggle to uncover the latent ideologies behind its aesthetics. Postcolonial theory is, by definition, the best in this regard. This study aimed to approach Ama Ata Aidoo's Anowa and Maishe Maponya's The Hungry Earth, and establish a comparison between them in the light of postcolonial perspectives. The method used in this study is qualitative, and the texts are taken from Gilbert's Postcolonial plays, which include a collection of contemporary plays considered by critics as masterpieces of postcolonial literature. This analysis showed that Anowa and The Hungry Earth are anti-colonial plays par excellence. They both mirror the cruelty and oppression of Western colonialism in Africa and reveal some of its colonial discourse and ideologies. They condemn and document the horrible aspects of discrimination and exploitation. Moreover, they both imply different strategies to resist colonialism, among which mimicry, hybridity, and armed fighting are the most highlighted. This study could be beneficial to students of postcolonial literature to build on it in their future studies. This study recommends the application of other literary theories in the analysis of these two plays, amongst them Feminism and Marxism. In addition to the postcolonial-oriented themes covered in this article, a sense of patriarchy, social inequality, and class distinction is also developed.