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A Critical Analysis of Helon Habila's Waiting for an Angel: A Postcolonial

Perspective

Article in Journal of Critical Reviews · August 2020

DOI: 10.31838/jcr.07.13.422

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 Journal of Critical Reviews
ISSN- 2394-5125 Vol 7, Issue 13, 2020

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF HELON HABILA’S WAITING FOR AN ANGEL: A

POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVE
1Habibu Awais Abubakar, 2Mubarak Ibrahim Lawan, 3Isyaku Hassan, 4Mohd Nazri Latiff Azmi
1Kano
State College of Education and Preliminary Studies, Nigeria,
Email: habeebaw@[Link]
2Department of English and Literary Studies, Al-Qalam University Katsina, Nigeria,

Email: abusfyy@[Link]
3Faculty of Languages and Communication, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia

Email: isyaku87@[Link]
4Faculty of Languages and Communication, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia

Email: mohdnazri@[Link]

Correspondence author: Isyaku Hassan,

Faculty of Languages and Communication, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, 21300 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
Email: isyaku87@[Link]

Received: 11.04.2020 Revised: 20.05.2020 Accepted: 15.06.2020

Abstract
In essence, this paper seeks to read Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel more as the material product of the postcolonial period and a
particular cultural context. Thus, the paper adopts the postcolonial theory through which African writers such as Habila strive to question
the postcolonial realities in African societies. This style of African writing is called “new realism, apparently, in recognition of a wave of the
verisimilar portrayal of poverty, disillusionment, misgovernance, and political ineptitude in African literature, within the context of a
postcolonial Africa. The paper concludes that although Africans rejoice their newly-won independence from the colonizer, still they
experience a new sort of misfortune and adversity, a form of reality following colonialism, in the hands of African leaders. This novel
Waiting for an Angel illustrates the concrete repulsions of postcolonial Nigeria in a substandard sketch of the daily realities. The disgraceful
and desperate image represented in the text indicates the depressed human spirit wanting and expecting an angel of freedom.

Key Words: Postcolonialism, African writers, disillusionment, Angel of freedom

© 2020 by Advance Scientific Research. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license ([Link]
DOI: [Link]

INTRODUCTION responsibility to disseminate certain personal and social practices

This paper reads Helon Habila’s Waiting for an Angel from a to their readers. With the foregoing background, understanding
postcolonial perspective; the postcolonial literature and theory postcolonialism is imperative, since the novel is analyzed through
that explore what happens when European culture clashes with postcolonial rendering.
African or Asian culture, and how Europe, with dominant powers
and ideology, deems itself superior to the others. Postcolonialism The Concept of Postcolonialism
marks the end of colonialism by offering the indigenous people the Postcolonialism is an approach to literary analysis that is
crucial power, cultural and political liberty to take their nations concerned with literature produced in English in previously
and gain independence and overcome cultural and political colonized nations (Bressler, 1999; Hassan et al., 2019). Post-
imperialism (Hassan, Azmi, Lawan, & Abubakar, 2019). The colonial criticism focuses on literary works written by colonial
postcolonial African novelists reproduce the realities of Africa. authorities and those produced by the colonized societies. In a
The novel Waiting for an Angel has been described by Kehinde narrow sense, postcolonial criticism concentrates on literature
(2005) as a postcolonial African novel that reflects, to a great from colonized nations including Africa, Australia, South America,
extent, the realities of the continent” (p. 87). These realities and New Zealand as well as some regions and people that were
include the existence of non-existent or crumbled infrastructure, once conquered by European political, cultural, and philosophical
bad governance, war, hunger, famine, diseases, poverty, and practices. The postcolonial concept pertains to the colonial
human rights abuse. Therefore, the central role played by the influence on cultures and societies. The concept “post-colonial
novel in labeling the fundamental postcolonial realities of Africa state” as initially used by historians after the Second World War
can never be understated. As such, if the claim that “most African possessed a chronological sense and describes the period of post-
writers write out of an experience and out of a commitment to an independence.
African destiny” (Achebe, 1976, p. 9) holds, then, Helon Habila’s Several authors from the third world countries have promoted the
Waiting for an Angel is a rich contribution to the current collection notion of postcolonialism as an approach to literature (Ngugi Wa
of African literary works that question the disappointment which Thiago, 1981; Said, 1985; Ahmad, 1987; Fanon, 1995; Césaire,
becomes prevalent in post-independent Africa. 2001; Ashcroft, Griffiths, & Tiffin, 2003; Spivak, 2012; Bhabha,
Habila’s Waiting for an Angel presents a modern history of post- 2015). Since authors do not write in a vacuum (Ngugi wa Thiong’o,
independent Nigeria in explicit details as a basket case of 1981; Niyi, 2007), and perhaps, every author is a product of his
disappointment and failure. Hence, the writer, regardless of his civilization (Azmi, Hassan, & Sidek, 2020), Helon Habila employed
writing influence, should aim to set people, and even himself, free his postcolonial reality to depict the true and evil color of
from corruption in the society, which also depends on how the colonisation.
story is written (Azmi, 2015; Roslan, Ab Rashid, Yunus, & Azmi,
2016). This is because writers are burdened with the collective

Journal of critical reviews 2787

 A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF HELON HABILA’S WAITING FOR AN ANGEL: A POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVE

Helon Habila politics. When Lomba satisfies the requirement, he becomes a

Helon Habila is a Nigerian novelist born during the 1960s in young motivated journalist in Lagos.
Kaltingo, Gombe State, Northern Nigeria. He studied English Another main character in Waiting for an Angel is Kela whose
language and literature at the University of Jos, Nigeria. Habila, father sent him to Lagos to stay with his aunt, Auntie Rachael who
subsequently, served as a lecturer for three years at the Federal owns God-will Food Centre, to rewrite his final school
Polytechnic Bauchi and later joined Hint Magazine in Lagos as a examination. Rachael’s food center becomes a place where people
writer before and then Vanguard newspaper as a literary editor. dine and discuss their issues of brutal treatment by military, lack
Helon Habila has produced two prominent novels, namely; of infrastructure, and other critical activities in their regions.
Waiting for an Angel (2002), which reproduces the social realities Nancy is a brilliant assistant to Auntie Rachael at the restaurant.
of the military usurpation of political influences in Nigeria and Her parents regard her as a prodigal child. Nancy’s parents send
Measuring Time (2006). Habila’s latest work Oil on Water (2010) her out because she was impregnated by her friend but Auntie
scrutinizes intensely the influence of oil exploration and Rachael accepts her to serve people in the restaurant.
exploitation in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. Auntie Rachael introduces Kela to a teacher, Joshua, to train him
for the examination. Joshua is a revolutionary person who
Discussion of the Novel (Waiting for an Angel) continuously talks about the severe living condition, and
Waiting for an Angel is a powerful story of different narratives that consequently, mobilizes the public to change the current pleasant
converge to form a single great narrative. The novel consists of situation. Joshua, Brother, one Muhammad, Ajokuto, and his
various themes that we come across in different stories, such as collaborators meet several times and lastly arrange to come out
student life and protests, poverty, life in prison, journalist for a protest. Their mobilization becomes prosperous at the Local
incarceration, and problems faced by writers. Nevertheless, the Government Secretariat. The non-violent protest was to call the
central theme that runs through the narratives represents life government’s attention to the people’s difficulty, but the military
under an autocracy in Nigeria where the narrative reconstructs dispersed the protesters brutally. Hagar, a student-turned
intensely the military and police brutalization, insurgency across prostitute, passes away following the protest having been
the nation, and human rights abuse. The story is told from the knocked down by a vehicle as she runs away from the policemen
viewpoints of Lomba and the narrator. Regardless of the episodic who come to disperse and attack the protesters. Therefore, the
and nearly incoherent narrative structure throughout the novel, administration, through its powerful agents, injures and murders
the story revolves around Lomba. Even though there are other some of the demonstrators and declares the ring leaders
main characters in the novel, most of the depictions concern criminals.
Lomba, a young journalist living in Lagos during the military From the demonstration scene, it becomes obvious that not only
administration of Gen. Sani Abacha. Almost every character in the human beings feel the negative impact of the nasty situation and
novel is affected by the brutal events during the administration. misery in postcolonial Nigeria but also the whole environment,
The novel hints about Lomba’s life in northern Nigeria, who later including chickens, dogs, and other domestic animals. As the
moves to Lagos for university education. While in the university, demonstration occurred on Morgan Street through Joshua’s
Lomba meets with Bola, a friend, colleague wand roommate leadership successfully, the public change street’s name to
during their momentary learning in the university. Lomba and Poverty Street. Poverty Street is one of the various frail, disease-
Alice, a student whose father is an Army General, meet in Dr. ridden residences that mark the whole setting of the novel, which
Karim's office. Lomba is requested to help her with registration at is the Lagos State of Nigeria as a reference to other parts of Africa.
the university, and in the process, Lomba started a love Accordingly, the disgraceful and miserable image depicted by
relationship with her. Following a riot of students, Lomba Habila in Waiting for an Angel indicates the assiduous human
accompanies Bola to home. Bola’s parents and two sisters pass spirit anticipating and waiting for an angel of liberty and freedom.
away in a car accident. As a result, he becomes depressed and
started preaching like a pastor in a neighborhood place against Post-Colonial Reading of Waiting for an Angel
military autocracy and dictatorship. However, Bola gets a raw deal Habila’s Waiting for an Angel reflects postcolonial Africa and how
in the hands of plainclothes security men who give him the beating Nigeria suffers from the aftermath of colonialism in the form of
of his life and send him to a psychiatric center. After two days, military domination, political and socio-economic failures, as well
when Lomba returned from Bola’s home, militaries have already as human rights abuse,. The story, through characters, exemplifies
raided their hostel and destroyed everything inside including his these repulsions of all postcolonial nations by depicting the
written works. He says, “As I neared my block… my room was everyday realities facing the colonized societies in Africa and
open, the door broken, hanging askew from the top hinge, half- Nigeria in particular. The novel fits into the collections of
blocking the entrance. And there were papers scattered all over contemporary African novels that Kehinde (2005, p. 89) says are
the veranda and the steps… The room looked as if a battle had generally:
been fought in it’’ (Waiting for an Angel, p. 71). […] reflections of the realities of post-independence Africa with its
Accordingly, Lomba undergoes all sorts of distress, and inherent cultural contradictions political and economic instability,
consequently, drops out of the university. According to him, “when corruption, sexual promiscuity, rape, the ravaging HIV/AIDS
school began to look like a prison, I had to get out” (Waiting for an syndrome, and nepotism. Hence, the contemporary African novel
Angel, p. 107). As a student, his university, like others, went is an amalgam of facts, fiction, and history.
through one closure after another. Lomba remains in Lagos for Furthermore, the novel is an effort to bring about a change of
two years, isolated in an apartment attempting to write a novel as attitude that Habila as demonstrated in the plot of the novel, the
he says “for my bread, I taught English and literature an hour daily, human right abuse, an incident concerning the much dreaded and
minus Sundays, on a school certificate preparatory class run by a talked about “jungle justice” as generally known in Nigeria or
woman who always looked at me suspiciously, as if wondering “necklace treatment” as known in some African nations. A
what I did for a living” (Waiting for an Angel, 106). Everywhere to universal feature of contemporary Nigeria’s informal justice
Lomba is a prison including his apartment and the university from system known as “jungle justice” is the cruel tradition of killing
which he withdrew, therefore, even before his imprisonment, he suspected convicts by burning them. All it takes for this display of
appears to be like a prisoner. Lomba decides to contact James who embarrassment to be legislated is an alleged or unlucky victim, a
promises to offer him a job after completion of his university disused car tyre, a match stick, some petrol, as well as a ready and
education. Although he left the university before graduation, willing gang. Lomba’s anonymous friend describes a scene of
James, as a patriot journalist asks Lomba to write articles about “jungle justice” he eyewitnesses:

Journal of critical reviews 2788

 A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF HELON HABILA’S WAITING FOR AN ANGEL: A POSTCOLONIAL PERSPECTIVE

A mob wielding cudgels and cutlasses is hot on the heels of a youth prison, there is no solution except hope. Remarkably, Mohammed
who desperately crosses to the other side of the road, narrowly in the novel is a character that is indicative of the typical Nigerian
missing the fender of a truck. The mob follows growing bigger as who sincerely and confidently looks in the direction of God for the
it goes. The youth, looking over his shoulder as he runs, crashes whole of his desires, even those that the government has to be
into a light pole and falls senseless to the ground. Before he can responsible for. He characterizes the aspiration and dream of most
regain a second wind the mob is on him. I watch the cudgels rise Nigerians in his type of condition. He submits in his daydream:
and fall; I hear his wailing ululating screams finally turn into a One day Allah go give me a million, I know it … Then I go throw a
whimper. They poured petrol on him and set him ablaze (p. 35- send-off party. My send-off from a life of poverty I go repaint every
36). house for this street… All of us go wear aso ebi, fine lace, and Italian
This horrible scene plays out frequently in cities and towns of shoes… Then finally I go stand before the TV people dem for the
postcolonial Nigeria and Africa generally where life is as cheap as final last handshake with Poverty. “Oga Poverty,” I go say, “we don
it comes. The novelist calls to question not only our humanity but finally reach the end of the road. We don dey together since I was
also attempts to classify us as a society with little concern on born, but now time don come wey me and you must part. Bye-bye.
human life, as Joshua says to Kela: Goodnight. Ka chi foo. Oda ro. Sai gobe (P. 97-98).
Look, we are living under siege. Their very presence on our streets This submission represents a classic case of the philosophy of
and in the government house instead of the barrack where they poverty and the poverty of philosophy in African society. After
belong is an act of aggression. They hold us cowed with guns so experiencing the grim, severe realities of life, the Africans submit
that they will steal our money—they will continue subjugating us spiritually to God or gods.
killing all dissenters one by one, sending them to exile till there is Today, as colonizers claimed to bring “civilization” to African
no competitor left to oppose them. (p. 122-123) nations, in contrast, they made Africans backward by instigating
It is imperative, however, to note that Habila only uses this violence and trading the people of Africa for their benefits; there
instance to describe a postcolonial Africa in a circumstance low- is ever-increasing discouragement to development. Thus, people’s
intensity conflict, whose people have lost confidence in the courts confidence in Habila's novel is hastened as it is concerned with the
of law, the military, and even the government. Habila describes fact that the public anticipated stability and hygiene in politics
postcolonial Africa as an unlegislated society where siren blaring from the military government. After all the promises made by the
vehicles force other road users off the road and in some military when they took over power from the civilians, they
circumstances, to their premature demise “More than once our demonstrated a complete disappointment and distress
taxi was forced to hug the kerb as siren blaring military jeeps comparable with that of European colonizers. Similarly, because
passed at top speed…” (p.43). Accidental and stationary vehicles the colonizers failed to convey the promised civilization as
are left on the road just to become deadly weapons of taking anticipated, the hopes of people crumbled in the aftermath of
people’s lives like Bola’s family: independence. The novel portrays dissatisfaction and complete
There had been an accident. Bola’s family-father, mother, and two disappointment resulting in the conflict and rebellion as Joshua,
sisters had been in a car crash. It was late in the evening…they the demonstration leader, says:
were on their way to Ibadan for a visit…The father driving had We came to tell you sir, that our clinic is run-down and abandoned.
failed to see the truck laying on its side in the middle of the road. We came to tell you that we don’t have a single borehole on
It was a military truck carrying the furniture of an officer on Morgan street… we are here to protest against this neglect--- we
transfer from Lagos to Ibadan. The father and mother, who were are dying from diseases. We are dying from a lack of hope. And
in front, had died instantly; Peju, the elder sister, died on the way that is why we are here today to protest. And this is the way we
to the hospital; the other sister, Lola, sustained minor injuries… feel we ought to express our displeasure (P. 131-132).
(p. 45). The above expression in Habila’s Waiting for an Angel depicts the
Postcolonial Africa in Waiting for an Angel is a failed state and an post-colonial Nigeria’s failure to accomplish any important
enormous disappointment to the aspirations and hope of its transformation of society following the attainment of political
people as exemplified by students who pushed to violence and independence and freedom. Since independence, African nations
negativism, frequently take on the influences that collaborate to are marked by one kind of self-inflicted weakness or another,
hold them down, as is the case with Lomba’s colleagues at the revealed in societal degeneration. In Africa, it seems that things
university. In universities, lecture boycotts and strikes are change positively but continue to be the same because of the
common: “The students, who should have been busy taking their criminal and villain influences of the sovereign powers. Therefore,
baths and getting set for lectures, sat idly…discussing the boycott Habila shows that Nigeria accepts imperialism and colonialism as
of lectures” (p. 39-40)….”Hagar takes to prostitution when a system that affected Africans who could contribute to the
rejection and hunger look her straight in the face (p. 114). It is a launching of their continent into a global giant.
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