Dictatorship in West-Africa: The West and African Intellectuals as Collaborators in Ahmadou Kourouma’s En Attendant Le Vote Des Betes Sauvages

Abstract

The role played by the Western world in dictatorial politics in francophone Africa is a subject that has occupied a central position among French-speaking African writers. Previous researches have highlighted the influence of the capitalist  and  socialist bloc as a factor responsible for the dictatorship characterizing African  politics by sparing African intellectuals. The present research, therefore, evaluates the collaborative role that African intellectuals play with the political elites in their  footsteps to dictatorship. Based on sociological theory, En attendant le vote des bêtes sauvages of Ahmadou Kourouma serves us as a literary tool with which, in an explanatory way, the role of the main characters is  underscored. African intellectuals are  implicated in the dictatorship  slowing down Africa’s development; the policy of silence and collaboration in the face of oppression are the delaying factor in the continent’s progress. In  conclusion,  we submit that African intellectuals must engage in active politics towards the total emancipation of Africa people..