Religious controversy in Swamp Dwellers with present corrupt Religious Gurus

 Religious controversy in Swamp Dwellers with present corrupt Religious Gurus

Name: Bharti Dharaiya

M.A English semester: 4

Roll no: 03

Batch: 2019 - 2021

Enrollment No: 2069108420190008

Email id: bhartidharaiya123@gmail.com

Submitted to: Smt. S. B Gardi, Department of English, MKBU

Paper no- 14. The African Literature

Topic : Religious controversy in Swamp Dwellers with present corrupt Religious Gurus

~ Introduction :

Ethnic and Religious conflict is common in almost all countries. But India is always forward in ethnic and religious groups. The Swamp Dweller by Wole Soyinka is a blunt exposition of religious controversy through the character of Kadiye. It is said that Rural people easily get s convinced by the middleman. They started believing in religious Gurus blindly without thinking deeply that whatever they are told is their own word, not God's words. 

 

All are human and have the same tendency. All have the power to change their life. There is no need for support, especially the support of corrupt Gurus. But rural people take time to think. Whereas the people of urban areas are smart enough that they don't believe in all these false religious practices. We can see the contradiction between the thinking of Awuchike and his father Makuri, brother Igwezu. Makuri lives with old traditional values whereas Awuchike learns to move forward.

~ Corrupt priest Kadiye in Swamp Dwellers: A Symbol of Religious Hypocrisy.

There is the character of the 

Kadiye who represents the religious authority for the swamp dwellers. 

The play deals with issues of different levels. On the surface, it is about the typical life of a poor family in the African society. Deeper, it is about the collision of old and new values, the confrontation between the urban and the rural, and the modern and the ancient ways of life.

Kadiye is a symbol of religious hypocrisy in Swamp Dwellers. He lives in a typically culturally and economically backward society of Africa. He knows very well how to use people, how to make people blind in faith with sugar coated words or false promises. Kadiye promised Iguazu that the village will be free from rain but his promise is fake. He is not the middleman of God. Igwezu gets the truth in the end. The character of Kadiye is convincing in the play. Wole Soyinka presents the real picture of the society of Africa. Kadiye is self centered and he only thinks about himself not others. He wears a mask on his face that most religious Gurus are wearing. There is nothing new. This became an age old tradition that every village has its corrupt priest over which all believe blindly. 

The Kadiye, the religious figure in Wole Soyinka’s Swamp Dwellers, is masterfully portrayed and is very convincing. Kadiye is portrayed in this drama as the main priest of the swamp dwellers.Though he is a priest by his profession ,he is anything but pious.He is essentially a corrupt and self-centered person.But Kadiye is not the sole example of his type.There are many kadiyes in every part of the world. There are some hypocrites who trade religion and live on it. This typical feature of Kadiye makes him more convincing.

# His skepticism about the authenticity of the Serpent of the swamps finds its way in a series of cynical questions and sacrilegious outbursts directed at the Kadiye: 

Igwezu: And so that the serpent might not vomit at the wrong season and 

drown the land, so that he might not swallow at the wrong moment 

and gulp down the unwary traveler, do I not offer my goats to the 

priest? 

Kadiye: Yes. 

 . . . 

Igwezu: Everything which he received, from the grain to the bull? 

Kadiye: Everything. 

 . . . 

Igwezu: And he made it clear–that the offering was from me? That I 

demanded the protection of the heavens on me and my house, 

on my father, on my wife, land and chattels? 

Kadiye: All the prayers were repeated.

Igwezu: And ever since I began to till the soil, did I not give the soil his due? 

Did I not give the soil his due? Did I not bring the first of the lentils 

to the shrine, and pour the first oil upon the altar? (109)

The physical feature of Kadiye indicates that he is more like a villain than a religious person. He is fat like a blood-swollen insect. He is a monstrous looking person. He is described as ’a big ,voluminous creature of about fifty. He is smooth faced and his head is shaved clean. He is bare above the waist and at least half of his fingers are ringed. This physical look suggests something ugly about his moral nature. Kadiye is very rich and has a good control over the swamp like a Godfather featured in the western films. Kadiye destroys people wearing the mask of religion.

~ Exposing of Kadiye :

Igwezu exposes the Kadiye :

 IGUAZU: Who must appease the serpent of the swamp?

KADIYE: The Kadiye

IGUAZU: Who takes the gift of the people in order that the beast may be forged and 

made sleeping eyed with the feast of sacrifice?

KADIYE: The Kadiye (37)

Kadiye’s responses reveal that he is just like a businessman, who makes his living out of the weakness, fear, and plight of the people of the swamp. Through religion, he gives them false hope that holds them bondage as captives of the serpent of the swamp. Hence, awareness and conscientization towards freedom and liberation of the people threatening the prison chains Kadiye put around the city. Thus, Iguazu 

asks Kadiye a question that fortifies the peoples’ realization that they have been robbed and defrauded by a charlatan

Igwezu exposes the Kadiye, carefully noting that their problem is only but 

nature’s course and that Kadiye’s sacrifices will not save them rather he will keep enriching himself while they suffer. Hence, Igwezu says: “I know that the floods can come again and the swamp will continue to laugh at our endeavours. I know that we can feed the serpent of the swamp and kiss the Kadiye’s feet but the vapours will still rise and corrupt the tassel of the corn.” (39). But due to the Kadiye’s threat Igwezu has to leave the village.In this way the Kadiye brings the final tragedy to Igwezu’s life.

The Kadiye betrays the trust of the villagers by encouraging them to indulge in a meaningless cult. The Kadiye is the priest of the Serpent. The villagers give their harvest to the Kadiye so he can appease the serpent. No one questions where the goods go, because it is almost blasphemous to do it.

The Kadiye is dramatized as a very convincing character.Though the Kadiye is portrayed in a Nigerian setting,but he can be transported to an Indian village,Bangladeshi or Irish village where the religious Sadus exploit the general people in the name of religion.

~ Corrupt Religious Gurus of India: 

There are many Corrupt Religious Gurus in India. All betray the religious people in India as the name of Guru. There are many gurus like Asaram, Swami Agnivesh, Baba Ramdev, Swami Nithyananda, Rajneesh, Chandraswami,Jayendra Saraswati, etc.

 # Asaram :

    

He is sentenced to life for raping girl.  He is convicted of the 2013 attack on the girl. Before exposing this truth he was a very famous religious guru of India. People are blindly following him without any doubt. People become emotional fools and when they realize then it is already too late for them to come out of this shock. He has very strong believers, that’s why he can easily fool people (editors of BBC news).

Controversy : 

1 . The ministry of corporate affairs said it had received complaints against him and his son in an alleged 700-acre land-grabbing case and the serious frauds investigation office is looking into the matter.

2 . Asaram and his son were also investigated in the mysterious deaths of two boys whose decomposed bodies were found from the banks of Sabarmati River near his ashram in 2008.

# Radhe Ma :

  

She is an Indian spiritual leader. She is also used to fool people in the name of religion. She started gaining more followers from Mumbai, Delhi and other cities. She has affairs with many and used to dance in public shamelessly. She is totally opposite from other religious gurus. She lives her life with fakeness and used to misguide people. She used to wear red clothes all the time. She came under scanner in 2015 for several criminal charges (Joshi).

# Baba Ramdev : 

    

Baba Ramdev is best known for popularising yoga and has been very vocal about political issues in the country.

Who can forget the Delhi government’s crackdown on his agitation at the Ramlila maidan in June 2011, where the baba tried to hoodwink the police by wearing salwar kameez and dupatta after they cracked down on the fast against corruption.

~ Conclusion : 

Thus, we can say that some religious gurus Like Kadiye are corrupt everywhere. It doesn’t matter from which place they belong. For the sake of money they can do anything in the name of religion. They never think of others, they are always self centered and think of their own benefits and work accordingly. 

Reference :

Kadiye in Swamp Dwellers: A Symbol of Religious Hypocrisy

http://www.literary-articles.com/2009/02/character-of-kaiye-in-sawmp-dwellers.html

Canice Chukwuma Nwosu &Chinonye Marchie. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AN_lImbIZNMh6K8U8ak3eXE6vsD_UXTf/view?usp=drivesdk, June 2015.