“Walking is not a Prerequisite for Trouncing You:” Representations of Disability in two African Comics and two African Novels

Abstract

The purpose of literature in representing society to itself creates an avenue for the discussion of issues that pertain to the lives of individuals and communities. Literary production, therefore, provides, among others, a means for the projection of the marginalised, including persons living with disability. The present thesis interrogates the relationship that exists between disability, power and the supernatural by providing a comparative analysis of four works of literature: Ayi Kwei Armah‘s Fragments, Aminata Sow Fall‘s The Beggars’ Strike, Mmbasu Mbwabi and Salim Busuru‘s Dunamis and Farida Bedwei‘s Karmzah. The objective is to unearth the convergences and divergences between the novel and the comic in their representations of disability, and by so doing, determining the relevance of the comic as a genre in the African literary space. The findings indicate that although the two genres diverge substantially in terms of form, they converge in their construction of the characters who embody disability and spirituality. The findings further provide an insight into the relevance of the comic for not merely African popular literature but also for African literary scholarship and social criticism.