Themes of Harvest of Corruption

In the play, Harvest of Corruption, Frank Ogodo-Ogbeche treats a number of issues many of which reflect the current situation in Nigeria. A few of them are examined as below:

Corruption: Throughout the play, the most important issue is corruption. The playwright seems to pass this play as a commentary on this anomaly. Everywhere you turn, in Jacassa, you see corruption, even in places you least expect. With Chief Ade-Amaka at the forefront of this evil, stealing, fornicating and abusing public office at will, Ogodo-Ogbeche seems to wonder why corruption is always thought to be only stealing of public funds. Aloho's gullibility and desperation, Ochuole's mistress role to Chief, Madam Hoha's role, as well as Justice Odili's, the Police Commissioner's extortion of Chief and even Ayo's request for bribe, all point to the fact that corruption is not limited to those at the helm of affairs. It permeates every facet of life of the people who sow it. Just as in the play, public officers in Nigeria have almost always culturalised corruption, with a single individual, a chief of staff to be precise, stealing a mindboggling sum of $2.1b meant for arms purchase.

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The Plot of Harvest of Corruption

Harvest of Corruption tells the story of most African countries after independence, how the politicians on whom the affairs of the countries have been entrusted, mismanaged the economy through corrupt practices. These politicians connived with police and judges, as seen in the case of the corrupt Inspector and Judge in the play, to siphon public funds into their personal pockets. They ran the country as their own homes, prostituting and squandering public money at will, at the expense of the suffering masses. Thus, Harvest of Corruption is Ogbeche's effort at drawing our attention to the evils perpetrated by our politicians and their resultant negative values in our society.

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