Intellectuals Power and Responsibility in Obi Egbuna's the Madness of Didi

Abstract

This paper questions the role and responsibility of African intellectuals in their communities as depicted by Obi Egbuna in The Madness of Didi. Although set in the 1980's, the novel is dealing with a reality that is still relevant to contemporary Africa. The legitimate questions among many others are: should African intellectuals cross their hands and watch, as mere spectators, the socio-political life unfolds in their communities? Do they have a part to play in the advocacy of issues of their times? Do they have the power to make things happen or to change the course of things? The present article tries to answer these interrogations.