Modern African drama is a re-enactment of native historical, political, economic and socio-cultural variables supported by elements and modes of the west, which is a clear pointer to its dual heritage. This study, therefore, uses Stephen Greenblatt’s New Historicism, as it privileges cultural context and history, to explore the struggle for sovereignty and nation building in Ola Rotimi’s Akassa You Mi. The main aim is not only to unravel the power play and resultant rupturing of relations between the British (represented by the Royal Niger Company) and the natives of ancient Nembe Kingdom of present-day Bayelsa State of Nigeria. Also, more importantly is to present the enduring virtues of unity of purpose and selfless leadership as a sine qua non for a hitch-free and viable contemporary Nigeria.
Keywords: Nation Building, Nigeria, Sovereignty., struggle
