Variations in African Culture and Creativity

 Over the years, African literature has elicited massive interest both locally and abroad. Starting off from the pre-independence literature to the contemporary, the writers have managed to tell stories of a continent that is ethnically and culturally diverse, yet still holds almost similar challenges and successes. Most of the renowned and/or widely read authors have written on several issues ranging from social and cultural issues, women’s rights and feminism, to post-war and colonial identity, as well as conflict and conflict resolution issues. The list of African writers is long, and here we look at three of those writers who have managed to exhibit African diversity through their literary works.

In her debut Behold The Dreamers, Imbolo Mbue illustrates the immigrant experience in America’s compassionate astuteness. Just like Jende Jonga, the main protagonist in her book, Imbolo Mbue is an immigrant to the United States sponsored by her relatives back in Cameroon to study in United States.  In the book, Jende Jonga, a man from Cameroon migrates to the United States and hopes to settle his family permanently there. In the first chapter of the book, a Lehman Brothers executive in New York hires Jende to be his chauffeur. The relationship between Jende and his boss, along with his family, allows the novel to follow the paths of two different families at the opposite ends of America’s economic ladder when the great recession hits. The book has sold millions of copies and has won Mbue various awards, including the 2017 PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award, a $15,000 award. In an interview with an American media outlet, Mbue said that her life is an example of what America offers to immigrants.  “We come here just in awe of this country and wanting to be a part of it,” she said.

The list of new generation African writers are taking the literary world by storm and would not be complete without the inclusion of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Born in 1977 in Nigeria, her works are primarily character-driven, interweaving the background of Nigeria and its social and political events into the narrative.  Her debut Purple Hibiscus is set in postcolonial Nigeria, a time when the country was affected by political instability and economic snags. It is set in a turbulent time in Nigeria’s political history, from the idea that there is a vacuum in power and a dictator rises to power. The theme of the book also highlights religious beliefs through the interaction of the characters. Kambili’s father (Kambili is the central character) rejects her Grandfather because of his cultural beliefs. This is also present in Kambili’s thoughts as she is always worried so as to not commit a sin and scared to anger her father. One of her latest pieces is 2013’s Americanah, an insightful portrayal of Nigerian immigrant life and race relations in America and the western world. Adichies’s works have been met with overwhelming praise and have been nominated for, and won, numerous awards, including the Orange Prize and Booker Prize.

Known as one of the best and most successful writers in the French language, Alain Mabanckou has broken borders with his literary works with his biting wit, sharp satire, and shrewd commentary into African affairs, as well as issues regarding African immigrants in France. Some of his books include Black Moses, Broken Glass and Black Bazaar, among others. One of his best known pieces of fiction is the Broken Glass, a comic novel centered around a former Congolese teacher and his interactions with the locals in the bar he frequents. The other one is Black Bazar, which details the experiences of various African immigrants in an Afro-Cuban bar in Paris. His candidness have attracted controversy and criticism by some African and diaspora writers for stating that Africans bear responsibility for their own misfortune. His novels have been nominated and received various awards, the most recent one being the 2017 Man Booker International Prize for the novel Black Moses.

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