Tail of the Blue Bird Pages 36-80

When I read this section of the novel, the first thing I thought about was the corruption of the government in Ghana. I found it outrageous that Kayo was pulled over and stopped and charged with trying to destabilize the government. The reader even gets a sense of this corruption on page 53 where Donkor says that these high level positions in the government are solely "by appointment". This theme of corruption is the principal focus of this reading, it goes on to mention how these corrupt officials will dodge taxes and partake in illicit activities as well. Ultimately the author shows us how these officials use their power beyond justice, they use it to attain what they want, when they want. Because the threat of arrest is one that not many are willing to risk, they feel obligated to comply. This section of the novel ultimately makes me wonder how the author truly feels about the law enforcement system in Ghana. Is the system really as corrupt in Ghana as this book makes it out to be, or is it just the authors bias clouding his writing? It's an interesting thought, but one that I will never know for sure.