Anthills of the Savannah Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 1 Summary

Chapter 1 Summary

This story takes place in the fictional African state of Kangan in the late 1980s. The opening chapter is set in the government headquarters during a meeting between the President of Kangan and the members of his Council. The narrator, Christopher Oriko -- the Commissioner for Information -- has just had a disagreement with the President over a proposed trip to the province of Abazon. The President flatly refuses to make an official visit there, and Oriko apologizes to the President, insincerely, for having mentioned it.

Oriko describes his relationship with the President, over the past two years, since the coup, which is steadily growing sour. He is unable to point to a particular event or time, when their friendship began to dissolve. He studies eleven of his colleagues, who are present at this meeting, and wonders why they have let the President, formerly their friend, become so difficult.

Oriko...
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