The Intellectual in Gorgui Dieng’s A Leap Out of the Dark (2002)

Abstract

After the end of the Cold War in 1991, the former colonising countries decided to put pressure on African political rulers to institute democracy as a mode of governance as a mode of governance. This occurred while the common people in sub-Saharan Africa had had enough of their difficult socio-economic situation caused by their corrupt and repressive governors who personalised the resources of their states. Consequently, protests emanated from the masses to demand democracy as well. Some African intellectuals also wrote books about how disappointed and unhappy they were with their political leaders. From postcolonial and political perspectives, this article will deal with The Intellectual in Senegalese writer Gorgui Dieng’s A Leap Out of the Dark (2002), where the hero, Moodu, has greatly contributed to the downfall of President Fojo’s regime. How did an apolitical secondary school teacher’s frustration with a party that had been in power for three decades lead to the overthrow of this party? In other words, which factors enabled Moodu to get the ousting of the People’s National Party, which had been ruling his country for more than thirty-four years? Based on postcolonialism, politics, and sociology, this article will first analyse the hero’s stand vis-à-vis the political establishment, and then the study will deal with the rewards of the hero’s unwavering commitment.