Post-Colonial Conflict in Africa: A Study of Richard Ali’s <i>City of Memories</i>

Abstract

This paper is a critique Richard Ali.s City of Memories as it reveals the facets of post-conflict in Africa. This topic has had many divergent approaches in the local and international arena. Through Ali.s fictional characters, an insider.s view is presented. The city of Bolewa performs becomes a microcosm of the larger issues that form the bane of conflict in Africa, especially with the  emerging problem of terrorism. The major issues through which conflicts arise are viewed as the quest for history and identity, fanaticism and leadership and the notion of nationhood. Other pivotal areas of influence in the novel are the role of feminism and the use of water as a leitmotif for love. In the protagonists of Ali.s City of Memories, the labyrinth of history, religion and politics are surmounted for the experience of a stirring love story.