Abstract:
Literary studies on transitioning from military dictatorship to civilian democracy have
attracted global scholarly attention. These studies, however, have mainly focused on the
gendered and political effects of military authoritarianism, with specific emphasis on the
Great Lakes Region of Africa. Consequently, this study focused on Nigeria, where the
soldiers inflicted immense psychological, emotional, and physical anguish. Unlike previous studies that predominantly examined the political implications of military dictatorship in Nigeria, this study foregrounds trauma in its multiple facets on victims and the coping strategies they adopted to survive. This study analysed Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel (2003) and Okey Ndibe’s Arrows of Rain (2000) to examine the traumatic effects of military authoritarianism on the victims and how they coped. The objectives of this study were to analyse the depiction of trauma as experienced by characters under military dictatorships, examine how trauma victims cope with the suffering, and analyse the effectiveness of elements of fiction in portraying trauma and coping strategies in the selected texts. The study has used the trauma literary theory as advanced by Cathy Caruth, Shoshana Felman, and Judith Herman in the 1990s, particularly their concept of fragmentation, which manifests through the psychological trauma of its victims, flashbacks, and stream-of-consciousness in narratives. A descriptive research design was used during the research process due to the textual nature of the study, which involved content analysis through close reading, analysis, and interpretation of data in the selected texts. Habila’s Waiting for an Angel and Ndibe’s Arrows of Rain were singled out purposefully as they depict a country marred by countless implications of trauma as a consequence of military dictatorships. Library research and an in-depth text analysis formed the data collection foundation. The findings of this research revealed that trauma manifests itself at the physical, emotional, and psychological levels, often destabilizing personal and collective identities. Still, victims can establish coping strategies for survival. Ultimately, the study highlights the power of literature in documenting military authoritarianism and preserving collective memory. It demonstrates that literary texts reflect the destructive effects of dictatorship and contribute to post-dictatorship healing by fostering dialogue on resilience and reconciliation. In addition, the study highlights literature’s relevance to contemporary policy makers, including governments and multinational bodies such as the African Union and United Nations, by reinforcing the urgency of deterring future military coups and promoting democratic stability globally.
