Voicing Silence: A Postcolonial Reading of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun

Abstract

Many African countries have been disposed to colonialism and its consequences on their livelihoods. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi sets the scene for a long battle well known as the Biafran civil war between the Igbo tribe and its counterpart, the Hausa tribe. For two years, both ethnic tribes fought for leadership and dominance, land and its accompanying resources. This ensued into poverty, diaspora, loss of identity, identity reformation, and the deaths of countless Civilians and soldiers. This paper is an attempt to analyse Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's, Half of a Yellow Sun using the post-colonial theory. The study attempts to address the following: the context of the Biafran war, the causes of the Biafran Civil war, how the identity of the Igbo tribe was shaped under the Biafran civil war, specifically, reviewing the lived experiences of major characters within the mentioned novel, namely, Olanna, Richard and Ugwu. This study found that the identity of all three characters under preview has been shaped during the Biafran war and as a result, they have emerged from the war well rooted in their culture.