Waiting....

The political system that is present in this time as described in the novel is very volatile. Greed is a center theme to the agendas of many of the Nigerian soldiers that are responsible for the many coups that take place. The people of Nigeria at this time are suffering dearly and are in need of help.

I took two different meanings from the title of the story and how they play in to what was taking place in the novel. For one man it appeared that he was waiting to for the angel of death to come and take him away. The one thing that made me wonder about this was that he was not the least bit worried that he was going to die and as a matter of fact he could have avoiding dying at the cafe by just leaving. It seems like many people at this time were very disturbed by what was going on around them and that death may not be all that bad compared to their current life experiences.

Another interpretation I took from the novel was that the people were waiting for an angel to come and save them from their horrible conditions. One that would lift them up and bring peace and prosperity to the people. Sadly to say that never happened and the people continue to suffer in regions throughout Africa today.

There were many activists seen throughout the story trying to bring an end to the corruption and bring happiness to the communities. Many people died in this struggle as the military was quick to squelch all forms of civil disobedience, and resulted in many political prisoners at the time. These reporters and activists were very important at bringing global attention to their strife and pressure on the governments to conform. The violations of human rights are widespread and evident in the novel and continue to this day.