Indigenous Storytelling as Decolonial Praxis: Reclaiming Voice and Land in Ben Okri’s The Famished Road

Authors

  • Azetu Azashi Agyo Federal University of Wukari, Nigeria
  • Joy Ogechi Aguiyi Federal University of Wukari, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18592/let.v15i1.16338

Keywords:

Indigenous Storytelling, Decolonisation, Postcolonial , Theory, The Famished Road

Abstract

This research explores the pivotal role of indigenous storytelling as a decolonial strategy in Ben Okri’s The Famished Road. Drawing on postcolonial theory as articulated by Frantz Fanon, Aimé Césaire, Edward Said, and contemporary critics such as Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, the study situates Okri’s novel within the broader context of Africa’s ongoing struggle to reclaim voice, land, and cultural identity in the aftermath of colonialism. The analysis foregrounds how Okri employs Yoruba cosmology, oral narrative forms, and mythic structures to resist colonial epistemologies and assert indigenous worldviews. By engaging with the works of scholars like Marnta Rani, Nasta Shushella, Simon Gikandi, and Ato Quayson, the research demonstrates that storytelling in The Famished Road is not merely a literary device but a dynamic force for cultural survival, resistance, and renewal. Through close textual analysis and critical engagement with historical and theoretical sources, the study reveals how Okri’s narrative practices challenge neocolonial power structures, amplify marginalized voices, and contribute to the ongoing project of decolonization in African literature.

References

Ashcroft, B., Griffiths, G. & Tiffin, H. (1989) The Empire Writes Back: Theory and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures. London: Routledge.

Brown, D. (2005) Contemporary African Literature and the Politics of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bryce, J. (2008) ‘Decolonization and African Literature’, in The Cambridge Companion to the African Novel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 50-66.

Césaire, A. (1950) Discourse on Colonialism. New York: Monthly Review Press.

Chinweizu (1975) The West and the Rest of Us: White Predators, Black Slavers and the African Elite. New York: Vintage Books.

Fanon, F. (1952) Black Skin, White Masks. Paris: Éditions du Seuil.

Fanon, F. (1963) The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press.

Ford Smith, M. (1997) ‘The Storytelling Tradition and the Subversive Element in History’, Journal of African Cultural Studies, 10(1), pp. 1-10.

Gikandi, S. (1992) ‘African Literature and the Colonial Factor’, Research in African Literatures, 23(1), pp. 3-12.

Gikandi, S. (2013) Encyclopedia of African Literature. London: Routledge.

Loomba, A. (2005) Colonialism/Postcolonialism. 2nd edn. London: Routledge.

Marnta Rani, S. (2022) ‘Decolonization: A Critical Overview’, Journal of Postcolonial Studies, 11(1), pp. 1-15.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1967) A Grain of Wheat. London: Heinemann.

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1986) Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature. London: James Currey.

Nkrumah, K. (1965) Neo-Colonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism. London: Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd.

Okri, B. (1991) The Famished Road. London: Jonathan Cape.

Oxford English Dictionary (2024) ‘Colonization’. Available at: https://www.oed.com/ (Accessed: 5 May 2025).

Quayson, A. (2015) Oxford Street, Accra: City Life and the Itineraries of Transnationalism. Durham: Duke University Press.

Sadeghi, B. (2017) ‘Colonial Ideology and the Civilizing Mission’, Postcolonial Studies Review, 14(3), pp. 45-59.

Said, E.W. (1978) Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books.

Shushella, N. (2020) ‘Decolonization and the Postcolonial State in Africa’, African Studies Quarterly, 19(2), pp. 7-20.

Sium, A. & Ritskes, E. (2013) ‘Speaking Truth to Power: Indigenous Storytelling as an Act of Living Resistance’, Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 2(1), pp. I-X.

Soyinka, W. (1975) Death and the King’s Horseman. London: Methuen.

Tyson, L. (2006) Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. 2nd edn. New York: Routledge.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-27

How to Cite

Agyo, A. A. ., & Aguiyi, J. O. . (2025). Indigenous Storytelling as Decolonial Praxis: Reclaiming Voice and Land in Ben Okri’s The Famished Road. LET: Linguistics, Literature and English Teaching Journal, 15(1), 96–113. https://doi.org/10.18592/let.v15i1.16338

Issue

Section

Articles