SCHIZOPHRENIAAS REBELLION IN SELECTED AFRICAN SHORT STORIES

This study explored the literary representation of schizophrenia not merely as a mental condition, but as a symbolic and subversive form of rebellion in selected African short stories: “The Madman” by Chinua Achebe, “The Beauty of Madness” by Adekunle Mamudu, and “Angwo Tanda” by Chiweizu. Drawing from postcolonial theory and psychoanalytic criticism, the research analyzed how madness was employed as a metaphorical tool to challenge socio-political oppression, cultural expectations, and personal alienation. The protagonists in these stories exhibited both conscious and unconscious forms of rebellion: through silence, spectacle, retreat, and disruption, their perceived insanity became a means of reclaiming voice, agency, and resistance in postcolonial African society. Ultimately, the paper argued that schizophrenia, within these texts, transcended pathology to serve as a mirror reflecting fractured systems and a weapon wielded—whether knowingly or not —against normative structures that silenced dissent.