By Daisy Okoti
Published May 29, 2023
In her 19-minute talk titled The Dangers of a Single Story on TED.com, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian-born author, says that she realised she was African when she went to the USA. Whenever something to do with Africa came up in her class, everyone turned to look at her. It did not matter what country in Africa was being discussed. There are still people who view Africa as one country which is full of misfortunes.
Adichie says that the first publisher she approached with her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, turned her down because her story was not ‘authentically African’. The characters in Purple Hibiscus drove cars and watched television, something that, according to that publisher who was European, was ‘Unafrican’. “Africans are supposed to walk naked and dance around a fire.” That was his idea of Africa.
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For most of the outside world, Africa is a continent with little intellectual prowess to be proud of. But a close study of Africans through their diverse literature will lead to the conclusion that Africa is not as ‘dark’ and the experiences and ideas of Africans are not as limited as they are portrayed in world media.
African writers tell the stories of Africans. So many things happen between the two covers of a book and it is through reading these books that Africa is a continent is explained: the diversity of cultures and ideas, the hopes and beliefs of the people. These writers understand the right values, the values one needs to abide by, and it is these values that they attempt to pass on to their readers. The African writer has a role of reaching out to his/her African roots and bringing them back to life through writing and so far, good African writers have done their best to portray their situations and that of other Africans through which one can come close to understanding the many things that happen in Africa.
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Reading African literature brings to light the fact that Africa has never been a ‘dark’ continent. The history of Africa includes wars, illiteracy and colonization; but it also includes contentment, a rich culture, and natural resources. It is these two sides of the coin that African writers try to bring out at the same time. When we understand these, then we begin to understand Africa.
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, in his book, The River Between, writes extensively about the problems Africans went through at the hands of Europeans. In this book, his main concern was the effect of the Whiteman’s religion on the African social setting, the African religion and traditional beliefs. This is captured through the central characters in the book like Waiyaki, Joshua, Muthoni and Nyambura.
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Although Ngugi wa Thiong’o does his best to protect his people from erosion by the new religion, readers are not lost to the fact that his is not just an attempt to let his people have the ability to judge between the two religions wisely, but also a desire that his people never get carried away by the Whiteman’s religion.
Through the character of Joshua, we learn about the fanaticism of the new religion. Ngugi wa Thiong’o doesn’t seem to see any positive trait in Joshua’s religion and he is always at fault in everything that he does. On the other hand, those who stick to the traditions of the land do the right thing and no calamity befalls them.
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Waiyaki’s position as the black messiah is seen to be compromised because he falls in love with Joshua’s daughters, first it was Muthoni and then secondly, Nyambura.
Most of the other novels, plays and short stories Ngugi has written portray the relationship between Africans and the colonialists through which the fact that Africans were not ignorant to the happenings of that time is brought out.
Ngugi wa Thiong’o goes into the list of many African writers who have been telling African stories before and after the colonial era while at the same time, paying attention to their personal opinions and thoughts.
Others include Chinua Achebe whose works are majorly on bad governance and poor politics. In his Essay, The Trouble With Nigeria, he begins by saying that, the trouble with Nigeria is entirely failed leadership. Achebe fights corruption and bad leadership in most of his books. His is a desire to see good leadership in Africa. As a writer, Achebe knows what is wrong and what is right in his country.
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Francis Imbuga, on the other hand, addresses the issue of gender inequalities in his play Aminata. He is dedicated to creating a society where both men and women have equal opportunities. He demonstrates this through the character of Aminata, a woman who develops to become a lawyer and that way, she stands up for the womenfolk in her society. The main bone of contention in the book is her father’s will which instructs that Aminata should be given a piece of land as inheritance.
Many other writers have contributed to the enlightening of the African people on various issues all ranging from social, economical and political.
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Ayi Kwei Armah, in The Healers, retains his belief in the fact that Africans were and are still able to take care of their own problems and of themselves using whatever resources that is available to them.
African writers are doing well in their role of illuminating the society within which they operate. Apart from entertaining their readers, most African writers have taken it upon themselves to address the various issues that affect the masses and the challenge is for Africans and other people to take time and read some more. When Africans read about Africa, they understand Africa; what affects Africa; what Africa has achieved and that way, they will be proud in their own skins as Africans. Most of what needs to be verified about Africa can be found in the books written by Africans.
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This article was written in 2012
