Death and the King's Horseman

Nigeria was under the control of the British Empire from the mid-1800s until the country achieved independence in 1960. Using a system of indirect rule, Britain left local Nigerian governments largely intact, ruling on their own but under the direction of British forces. Thus, many local customs were allowed to continue without disruption, and the British Empire maintained economic control of the region without expanding the expense of establishing an entire colonial presence.

However, this system also generated distrust among the Nigerian people, as their traditional leaders acted upon the wishes of a foreign government. Like all other colonial projects, the British Crown exploited the Nigerian people and region for economic gain by exporting crops and raw materials. Traditional societies were also transformed through the spread of Christianity, the English language, and Western education systems. 

Death and the King’s Horseman is set in the 1940s, near the end of World War II, approximately 15 years before Nigeria achieved independence. Throughout the play, Soyinka critiques many issues with British colonial rule. He illustrates how little control the district officer Pilkings has over his region and how his misunderstanding of traditional culture contributes to tragedy. Officers of the native police administration, like Sergeant Amusa, are mistrusted and ridiculed by their own people. Through the voice of Olunde, Elesin’s British-educated son, Soyinka addresses the many contradictions of British superiority and illustrates that exposure to Western culture and education does not result in the erasure of other beliefs and identities.