Revolutionary Consciousness In A Man Of The People By Chinua Achebe And The Music Of Fela Anikulapo Kuti
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Date
2011
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Department
English and Languages
Program
Doctor of Philosophy
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This item is made available by Morgan State University for personal, educational, and research purposes in accordance with Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Other uses may require permission from the copyright owner.
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Abstract
This dissertation is based on several disciplinary apparatuses and suggests a rational sketch for understanding the role and value of creative artists in revolutionary application. The creativity and activism of writer Chinua Achebe (1930 - ) and performer Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938-1997) give us examples of the role artists play in social development. In the colonial and on-going (post)colonial experience of oppressed people, the need for collective effort towards change is ever relevant. The revolutionary conscious artist is defined as one who has inherent creativity and has undergone a conscious awareness of his/her role in society as an instrument of change. These artists have resolved the Bitterness, Seduction, and Confusion of the practical individual. They have through attunement dedicated themselves to a higher calling in service to society. These artists use the media of engagement and entertainment available in society to address the need for balance and accountability identified as Escape and Resolution. Chinua Achebe and Fela Anikulapo Kuti are amongst gifted people who retain and pass on to the people elements of change and the need to continue growing in individual and social identity. Creative initiative is an act of revolution because it rekindles myth, brings about changes in thinking, modifies behavior, and helps with identification.