PROGNOSTIC IMAGINATION AND AFRICAN LITERARY WRITERS IN THE CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN POSTCOLONY: A STUDY OF CHIGOZIE OBIOMA’S THE FISHERMEN

Abstract

This study examines the role of African writers in projecting future possibilities within the African postcolony through the framework of prognostic imagination, especially in recent times when excessive power is wielded in the postcolony, leaving it fragile and precarious. African literature has traditionally focused on revisiting colonial histories and interrogating the socio-political crises of post-independence societies. While such retrospective engagement remains important, it often limits the imaginative capacity of literature to envision alternative futures for the continent. The problem that motivates this research is the continued dominance of backward-looking and retrospective narratives in African literary discourse, which creates a gap in exploring the prophetic or anticipatory role that literature can perform in shaping future consciousness. The purpose of this research is to investigate how writers can move beyond retrospective representations to assume a visionary role that anticipates possible trajectories for African societies through the imaginative power of prognosis, thereby guiding readers toward the future. The study analyzes The Fishermen by ChigozieObioma. Using qualitative textual analysis, the research is theoretically grounded in the postcolonial framework of AchilleMbembe, particularly his concepts of commandment, entanglement, intimacy of power, and necropolitics. The study is limited to selected contemporary African novels that demonstrate elements of prophetic imagination. Findings reveal that the writer employs symbolism, prophecy, narrative foreshadowing, and speculative imagination to critique present socio-political realities while projecting possible futures within the African postcolony. The study concludes that African writers possess the creative capacity to function not only as chroniclers of past and present experiences but also as visionary agents of future consciousness. It recommends increased scholarly engagement with prognostic imagination.