ECONOMIC HEGEMONY AND PEACE IN POSTCOLONIAL AFRICA: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF A PLAY OF GIANTS BY WOLE SOYINKA / HEGEMONIE ECONOMIQUE ET PAIX EN AFRIQUE POSTCOLONIALE: UNE ANALYSE CRITIQUE DE A PLAY OF GIANTS DE WOLE SOYINKA

Paul Ali Essoroda, Pinidou Pitapinawè

Abstract


This study bridges political economy and literary analysis to examine how Wole Soyinka’s A Play of Giants critiques International Financial Institutions (IFIs) as instruments of dependency and exploitation in postcolonial Africa. The aim is to investigate the complex relationship between external economic control and the crisis of peace. To achieve this, the study employs Marxism and semiotics as theoretical frameworks. Within these frameworks, the analysis demonstrates how IFIs, particularly the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), impose structural adjustment programs, loans, and austerity measures that asphyxiate African economies, deepen inequality, and generate systemic poverty. The findings reveal that the complicity of unpatriotic African leaders amplifies these effects, prioritizing personal gain over national development and perpetuating cycles of dependency and socio-political instability. The study argues that sustainable peace extends beyond the absence of violence and requires justice, dignity, goodwill, equitable development, and harmonious cooperation among individuals and nations. These results have significant implications for rethinking Africa’s economic partnerships, highlighting the need for accountable leadership, indigenous financial strategies, Pan-African responsibility, and inclusive growth. In conclusion, the study emphasizes that genuine peace requires reform of IFIs, promotion of sovereign development, and dismantling of neo-colonial structures. Cette étude intègre l’économie politique et l’analyse littéraire afin d’examiner comment A Play of Giants de Wole Soyinka critique les institutions financières internationales (IFI) considérées comme des instruments de dépendance et d’exploitation en Afrique postcoloniale. L’objectif est d’analyser la relation complexe entre le contrôle économique externe et la crise de la paix. Pour ce faire, l’étude mobilise le marxisme et la sémiotique comme cadres théoriques. Dans cette perspective, l’analyse montre comment les IFI, en particulier la Banque mondiale et le Fonds monétaire international (FMI), imposent des programmes d’ajustement structurel, des prêts et des mesures d’austérité qui asphyxient les économies africaines, accentuent les inégalités et génèrent une pauvreté systémique. Les résultats révèlent que la complicité des dirigeants africains peu patriotes amplifie ces effets, en privilégiant le gain personnel au détriment du développement national et en perpétuant des cycles de dépendance et d’instabilité sociopolitique. L’étude soutient que la paix durable ne se limite pas à l’absence de violence : elle exige justice, dignité, solidarité, développement équitable et coopération harmonieuse entre individus et nations. Ces résultats ont d’importantes implications pour repenser les partenariats économiques de l’Afrique, en soulignant la nécessité d’un leadership responsable, de stratégies financières endogènes, d’une responsabilité panafricaine et d’une croissance inclusive. En conclusion, l’étude affirme que la paix véritable requiert une réforme des IFI, la promotion d’un développement souverain et le démantèlement des structures néocoloniales.

 

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international financial institutions, postcolonial Africa, sovereignty, peace, development / institutions financières internationales, Afrique postcoloniale, souveraineté, paix, développement

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejlll.v9i3.648

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