Probing the Preoccupation of Oil Politics, Avarice, and Wanton Disillusionment in Uzo Nwamara’s Dance of the Delta

Abstract

This study explores socio-political contradictions, hypocrisies, deceits, and the marginal existence of suppressed and exploited individuals in the Niger Delta communities of Nigeria who are unjustly stifled by a few members of the superstructure. The literary analysis is undertaken through the lens of Uzo Nwamara’s play, Dance of the Delta. This study adopts a Marxist framework to examine the aspects of politics of disillusionment and disequilibrium as captured by the playwright. This is to see the fidelity of the play to the region in terms of verisimilitude. Marxism as a critical template for this study is an economic and political theory that draws close attention to the unfair exploitation of the masses by the political class. It seeks a reversal of the system so that a greater portion of the people’s wealth is entrusted to the people who produce it. The study underscores that the underdevelopment of the Niger Delta region, despite its enormous mineral resources, is hinged on the avaricious nature and corruption of a few members of society, who are metaphorically represented through the characters of Chief Akpan and his cohorts. It therefore concludes that the revolutionary consciousness of the oppressed and suppressed is sine qua non for the dethronement of injustice and corrupt practices.