Mythologising Power: Sculpting the Dictator Figure in Wole Soyinka’s A Play of Giants

This paper explores the representation of power and its performance in Wole Soyinka’s A Play of Giants. The dictator figure emerges largely as an entanglement of myth and history. Through close textual and theoretical analysis, the article argues that the dictator is a consummate mythologiser, but ultimately is a victim of myths. It also argues that Soyinka’s construction of the African dictator indicts the performance of power in post-independence Africa, but reinforces myths and stereotypes about the African dictator and Africans in general. Drawing on Foucault’s claim that power is everywhere and should be viewed in terms of power relations, the article demonstrates the precarious nature of the dictator’s power. The overall conclusion is that Soyinka’s play underlines the enduring significance of the African dictator text as it complicates and problematises the representation of the performance of power in post-independence Africa.