Contemporary Perspectives Analysis of Graceland "Elvis had read a newspaper editorial which declared, quite proudly, that Nigeria had a higher percentage of millionaires... than almost any other country in the world, and most of them lived and conducted their businesses in Lagos. The editorial fails to mention that their wealth was built over the years with the help of crooked politicians, criminal soldiers, crooked entrepreneurs and greedy oil company executives. Or that Nigeria also had a higher percentage of poor people than almost any other country in the world. (Abani 8) This quote illustrates the image of Nigeria presented in Chris Abani's shocking novel, Graceland. Based on Abani's own experiences in this conflict-ridden, war-torn country, this tale tells us both the coming-of-age story of Elvis Oke and that of post-colonial Nigeria – an oppressed nation exploited by the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Eastern Markets. The modern novel is reminiscent of Chinua Achebe's bildungsroman, as they are both set in postcolonial Nigeria and highlight the effect of globalization on this conflict-ridden country. The interaction between American and Nigerian cultures shows that with globalization there can be economic and social exchanges between cultures, but the more dominant culture can impose its culture on the other asymmetrically in favor of the dominant culture. Abani's narrative tells the story of Elvis Oke, a teenager with an alcoholic father and a deceased mother who desperately tries to escape the slums of Lagos City – a swampy ghetto, juxtaposed against the magnificent skyline of the other side of the river, the lagoon and rich foreign expatriates. who come to relax on beaches and seaside resorts middle of paper ...... America was not the only one involved in this black market of drug and organ trafficking. The black market has expanded/is still expanding in many countries, functioning as its own type of economy, born from the shortcomings of other economies and above all from need; The scene in post-war Nigeria is one of despair, as Abani explicitly shows. It extends across several countries mentioned in the text, a child of the corruption born of imperialism. Globalization enables cultural exchange and is a two-way street, as demonstrated by the popularity of Nigerian writers Achebe, Abani and Saro-Wiwa. However, a dominant culture, such as that of the United States in Nigeria circa 1983, can overwhelm another culture, forcing it to adapt in the most unpleasant ways possible.Bibliography1. Abani, Christophe. GraceLand. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004. Print.