Unearthing the Intersection of Unbelonging and Postcolonialism in Wole Soyinka’s Kongi’s Harvest

Authors : Simge Ayyıldız, Samet Guven

Pages : 1-12

Doi:10.32709/akusosbil.1295852

View : 96 | Download : 44

Publication Date : 2025-03-03

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Postcolonialism in general is related to the colonization of the Oriental countries by the Occidental ones in terms of political, historical and cultural aspects. The literary figures in this scope attempt to shed light on the unbearable effects of colonization over the economically weak countries. From this perspective, Wole Soyinka became the voice of African countries since he touches upon fundamental problems such as hybridity, loss of identity, and exploitation in his Kongi’s Harvest. Moreover, he highlights the concept of unbelonging through black characters who are expected to be part of African culture, as in the case of Kongi, who does not accept the dominance of local authority over himself anymore. This means that Kongi appears as a rebellious character who goes beyond the boundaries of traditional restrictions, unlike the general portrayal of a native man. In this respect, the purpose of this article is to show how the Africans suffer from the exploitation of the Europeans by creating a sense of alienation from their own culture through indecisive characters that belong to nowhere.
Keywords : Postkolonyalizm, aidiyetsizlik, Kongi’s Harvest, Chinua Achebe, yerliler