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Title: | Political Myth and Achebe’s Arrow of God |
Authors: | Aning, J. Nsiah, J. |
Keywords: | political myth crisis nation-state political discourse fringe groups |
Issue Date: | Aug-2012 |
Publisher: | Journal of Science and Technology |
Citation: | Journal of Science and Technology, Vol. 32, No. 2, 2012, pp 68-77 |
Abstract: | Many African states are in dire political distress. During the political struggle for freedom and
the immediate aftermath of political independence, leaders were able to mobilize the citizenry on
the banner of the myth of the common nation state, a veritable paradise on earth. The stark reality
now is that a combination of factors has led to general disillusionment. One of the ways to
rekindle mass political enthusiasm is for the political elite to fashion new myths of the state
which the general populace can identify with. This paper suggests that modern leaders of Africa
can learn valuable lessons from Achebe’s Arrow of God. Firstly, when a nation is in a crisis, a
new political myth becomes necessary. This new myth should be consciously crafted by experts
brought together by political leaders. Secondly, if leaders fail to give the state a new cohesive
myth, the nation may disintegrate into tribal enclaves, or even worse, any passionate fringe
group will fashion a political myth – positive or negative – for the state. The paper concludes
that political leaders in Africa should set the process in motion to deliberately craft new political
myths for the various countries. |
Description: | Article published in the Journal of Science and Technology, Vol. 32, No. 2, 2012, pp 68-77 |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/5601 |
Appears in Collections: | Journal of Science and Technology 2000-
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