a man of the people
TRANSCRIPT
A ManOf The People
By: Chinua Achebe
A ManOf The People
By: Chinua Achebe
A Man of the People was published in 1966. It is a satirical novel and it is Achebe’s fourth novel. The novel is written in the first person narrative which is merely a deviation from Achebe’s other novels which are mostly written in the third person narrative.
A ManOf The People
Summary
The novel begins with the following sentence:
‘No one can deny that Chief the Honorable M. A. Nanga, M.P., was the most approachable politician in the country.’
Right from the first sentence, the reader is introduced to a political character with so many titles being attached to his name.
A ManOf The People
Summary
The novel tells the story of a young and educated man, Odili and his conflict with Honorable Chief M. A. Nanga. The narrator, Odili, is a school teacher in a fictional world. Chief Nanga is a former teacher of the narrator who has taken up a new career in politics in an African country that is not named in the novel but this unnamed country seems to be sharing some similarities with post-colonial Nigeria.
A ManOf The People
Summary
In the early chapter of the novel, Odili the Narrator meets his former teacher, the now powerful but corrupt Minister of Culture who had been scheduled to address the staff and students of the Anata Grammar School where Odili is a teacher. Upon meeting him, Odili receives an invitation to Chief Nanga’s house. When Odili has honored this invitation, there are series of conflicts that builds up as Chief Nanga uses his position, power and riches to pursue Odili’s girlfriend.
A ManOf The People
Summary
Later, we see Odili’s girlfriend cheat on him. While reading, I became interested in this part of the novel because it clearly demonstrated the abuse of position and power and the actions thereof drew a wide gap between people in power or the high class and those in low class. Odili attempts to pay back by pursuing Chief Nanga’s fiancé.
A ManOf The People
Summary
Being the Minister of Culture, it was Chief Nanga’s duty to protect and maintain the traditions of his country but we see that he goes contrary to his line of duty and rather uses his position and power to increase his personal wealth.
All too soon, time catches up with the Minister, Chief Nanga and his government and there is a coup in the country. At the same time, Odili had joined and agreed to lead an opposition party.
A ManOf The People
Conclusion
Portrait of African Leaders
Political Apathy and Cynicism of ‘the people’
Introduction to Militiocracy- The rule of the Military in Africa