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References of the abstract :
Nuruddin Farah, one of the major contemporary politically committed African authors, has
devoted his whole writing to his homeland Somalia. His first trilogy, entitled Variations on the
Theme of an African Dictatorship, focuses on the demystification of the ways and techniques the
tyrannical regime, led by General Siad Barre, uses to control the nation and make any efforts for
change ineffective. The three novels tell the story of ten intellectuals, who are committed to the
cause of removing the dictator. However, their mission fails and the trilogy ends with the status
quo unaffected. The characters are cosmopolitan and have spent some time studying in Europe,
and therefore do not fit into the Somali context, as they reject the Somali culture with which they
cannot cope, as it is at odds with their principles. Therefore, they are highly criticised by their
fellow countrymen for their ideological beliefs and for their constructed identities that do not
comply with the national one. In addition, the characters are seen by critics as frivolous and their
efforts to overthrow the General as futile. My paper will study the clash between those characters
and the Somali culture they fight, as well as the reaction of some critics who fail to understand
this kind of characters created by Farah, who condemn the cultural barrier that the traditional
Somali culture represents for this new generation, looking for a place in their home country
where they feel like guests.
