AFRICAN DRAMA KOBINA SEKYE: The Blinkards. Compare the characters of Mr. Onyimdze and Mr. Borofosem.

Answer Details

In Kobina Sekyi's satirical play The Blinkards, Mr. Onyimdze and Mr. Borofosem are deliberately contrasted characters through whom the playwright attacks the blind imitation of European ways in colonial Gold Coast society. Comparing them clarifies Sekyi's central theme of cultural identity versus slavish Anglicisation.

Their attitude to African culture. Onyimdze, though a London-trained barrister, remains proudly rooted in his own culture. He values African custom, dress and language and refuses to despise his heritage. Borofosem, by contrast, is a comic caricature of the been-to who returns from England determined to live as an Englishman, aping European manners, dress and speech and looking down on all that is African.

Education and reason. Both men are educated and have been exposed to Western learning, but they draw opposite lessons from it. Onyimdze uses his education wisely, with balance and discernment, keeping what is good in both cultures. Borofosem uses his exposure foolishly, mistaking imitation for progress and becoming a figure of ridicule.

Consistency of character. Onyimdze is consistent, principled and sensible; he is the play's raisonneur, the voice of reason and moderation who exposes the folly around him. Borofosem is inconsistent and absurd, enforcing English customs on his household and insisting on ceremonies and etiquette that are ill-suited to their setting.

Their function in the satire. Sekyi uses Borofosem as the chief target of his mockery, the embodiment of the "blinkard" who has been blinded to his own worth by colonial dazzle. Onyimdze serves as the moral standard against which Borofosem's folly is measured, representing the ideal of an educated African who remains loyal to his roots.

Points of similarity. Both belong to the elite, educated class of coastal society and both have travelled or been shaped by contact with England. This shared background sharpens the contrast, for it shows that Western education need not destroy cultural pride: the same experience produces the wise Onyimdze and the ridiculous Borofosem.

In conclusion, Onyimdze and Borofosem are opposites in outlook though similar in background. Onyimdze is the sensible defender of African identity, while Borofosem is the deluded imitator of European ways, and through their contrast Sekyi condemns cultural self-contempt and champions a balanced pride in one's own heritage.