Postcolonial Concerns of Africans in “The Gentlemen of the Jungle”

Abstract

After Africans attained independence from their former colonial masters, one big question arises: ‘What is the new identity? Currently, most Africans are faced with several instances of cultural clash because they are too much exposed to the colonizer’s way of life. The identity of most Africans is gradually eroded as there is proliferation of Westernization. This paper employs Jomo Kenyatta’s short story, ‘The Gentlemen of the Jungle’, by examining the main theme, postcolonialism, from four sub-perspectives – alienation and exclusion, retributive justice, the colonizer’s language as a tool of dominance, and double standard and abuse of power. The significance of this paper is to facilitate the shaping of new identities in African communities after extermination of colonialism and European imperialism. The paper is structured into four main parts – introduction, the method, the themes, and the conclusion.