POWER DYNAMICS AND THE POLITICS OF SURVIVAL IN TESS ONWUEME’S THE DESERT ENCROACHES

Abstract

This paper examines the themes of power, oppression, and the politics of survival in Tess Onwueme’s The Desert Encroaches. The study explores how the playwright employs allegory, symbolism, satire, and animal characterization to expose systems of domination, exploitation, and ecological destruction in postcolonial African society. Although scholarship on environmental issues in African literature has expanded in recent time, there remains limited critical attention specifically devoted to the interconnectedness of power, oppression, and the politics of survival in The Desert Encroaches. Most existing studies focus either on feminist concerns, ecological issues, or general socio-political criticism without thoroughly interrogating how structures of power shape survival strategies among oppressed groups. Addressing this gap, this study undertakes a critical analysis of The Desert Encroaches by examining how Onwueme constructs survival as both a political and existential struggle within oppressive socio-economic systems. Drawing on the Marxist and sociological approaches as theoretical frameworks, the paper argues that the play reflects the socio-political realities of inequality, authoritarian leadership, neo-imperialism, and the suffering of marginalized groups. The study further reveals that survival in the play transcends physical existence to include political resistance, collective solidarity, and revolutionary consciousness. Through the metaphor of the encroaching desert, Onwueme dramatizes the gradual destruction of human dignity and societal stability caused by greed and abuse of power. The paper concludes that The Desert Encroaches remains a significant socio-political drama that advocates resistance against oppression and calls for justice, unity, and social transformation in contemporary African society.