A PLEA FOR RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IN ELNATHAN JOHN’S BORN ON A TUESDAY : A POSTCOLONIAL APPROACH

Abstract : This article leans on postcolonial theory suggested by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak namely under the angle of otherness and purports to analyse how Elnathan John deconstructs religious violence as a way of calling for tolerance and social cohesion in Born on a Tuesday. The analysis specifically addresses ways in which creative literature serves as a medium to advocate the paradigms of religious cohabitation as a postcolonial imperative. It specifically addresses the problematic of peaceful coexistence when different people with different beliefs have to share the same environmental life. The study finds out that compromise and tolerance are essential for the survival of peace, itself a cornerstone for African development. Keywords: Religion, tolerance, coexistence, Africa, development, peace.