Intertextual Threads: Unpacking the Quranic, Biblical, Malinké, And Igbo References in Allah Is Not Obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma And Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This article examines the intertextual network in Ahmadou Kourouma's Allah n'est pas obligé (2000) and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart (1958), concentrating on the following sources of intertextuality: Quranic, biblical, Malinké and Igbo. The two novels sketch the complex cultural background and historical situation of the two societies with the help of intertextuality. By means of a comparative study, this article explores the complexity of cultural identity in West Africa so directing the intertextual allusions and so moulding the narratives. Using intertextuality to challenge accepted narratives about Africa and its people, the article argues that both works show complex images of cultural identity. Analysing the intertextual connections in both texts enables the other to understand the dynamic and complex process of cultural identification in West Africa. Although separated by decades Achebe writing during decolonisation and Kourouma reacting to the chaos of post-colonial civil conflicts, both writers employ sacred books and indigenous knowledge systems as powerful means of critique. In Things Fall Apart, Christian biblical allusions highlight the destructive colonial presence while Igbo proverbs, traditional storytelling, and religious ceremonies offer a nuanced depiction of pre-colonial society. Reflecting the postwar breakdown of West Africa, Kourouma's Allah is Not Obliged presents a more fragmented intertextuality via syncretic interpretation of Islam, tribal practices, and Western influences by child soldier Birahima.