Exploring slum life and urban poverty in Lagos: the politics of everyday resistance in Chris Abani's Graceland

Abstract

Purpose The paper aims to look into the implications of urban informality in Chris Abani's Graceland as represented in slum life and urban poverty as products of over urbanization and globalization, seeking to unravel multi-layers of the human side of the slum. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines slum life from a descriptive approach to highlight how people survive under poverty. The study of the culture of slums entails an analysis of the survival techniques and everyday practices of slum dwellers, the relations and patterns of behavior and the outcomes of the interplay between place, culture and power relations in such communities. Findings The urban slum dwellers utilize everyday forms of resistance which comprise a number of “low-profile techniques” to subvert state-imposed power structures and break the cycle of poverty. Research limitations/implications Despite the relevance of a post-colonial approach to the texts, this paper is limited to the study of the impact of urban poverty on individuals. Practical implications The margin, represented in the urban poor, is brought into focus and perceived in a new light of empowerment which challenges alienating discourses. Social implications The multidimensional vision of Nigeria in Abani's text highlights the cultural and economic impacts of multiculturalism, neocolonialism and globalization on the urban poor. Originality/value The paper formulates a framework for understanding the culture of the slum as a space of a peculiar nature, seeking to deconstruct a fixed view of slum life and poverty culture.