Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Is Afropolitanism Africa's New Single Story? Reading Helon Habila's Review of "We Need New Names"

this is very interesting.
here's my view.
(first, habila criticizes noviolet bulawayo for writing about all the bad things in africa; he says, it's as though she has a checklist, and ticks off one horrible thing after another)

i hate this kind of criticism. not because it says we should be concerned with ugly representations of africa. not because she wrote a pretty great book that does what he says. but because the criticism is misguided.
if she wrote about things he liked, would that make the book any better? is there a checklist of good topics that provide some kind of quality, regardless of the writing?

here is the truth: she could have written badly about the topics she chose, or she could have written well. most of the writing is excellent. there is maybe one chapter where the writing is not so hot.
the book is great in terms of character, style, and voice, and in the overall narrative it creates.
whether it deals with positive or negative images of africa is not the issue, is not relevant, and, in fact, doesn't carry the political valence that should concern us with the term afropessimism. i think if we are politically retrograde, and still wrote only about positive aspects in africa, with poor writing, we do more damage than if we write about bad things, but do so with a voice and vision whose goal is not simplistic.
however, come to think of it, it is also possible, i believe, to criticize good writing, but on the grounds of its politics. i think of naipaul's racial representations and shudder. The Bend in the River does inexcusable things in its representation of africans. alas, he is a good writer. so was shakespeare, and i can't say i like the figure of shylock.
how far can we push this logic?
not sure. The Birth of the Nation was repulsive in its representations of african americans. it revolutionized filmmaking. but there are scenes i can't stomach.
i guess i'd have to return to habila's point, and simply argue that the foundation for her critique is not based in racist denigrations of zimbabweans or africans, but contains a critique of the conditions and politics of mugabe's govt.
after all--if you read the review you'll see he mentions mugabe's takeover of the whites' lands and houses, but not his crushing of the democratic opposition. and if we can accept that that is legitimate, we can then say, well, Anthills of the Savannah, and, well, most of soyinka's fiction and drama also critiques much in nigerian society.
ken

On 10/29/13 12:59 PM, Ikhide wrote:

"It is now a trend, that any story out of Africa that deals with deprivation, misrule and suffering is met with loud outcries of poverty-porn from a group of Africans Taiye Selasi defined as Afropolitans. Writing in Lip Magazine in 2005, Taiye described Afropolitans as "the newest generation of African emigrants … (known by a) funny blend of London fashion, New York jargon, African ethics, and academic successes."

The Nigerian writer and academic Helon Habila is one such Afropolitan. Born and raised in Nigeria, Habila teaches in a North American university, has achieved success in the literary world, with a slew of writing prizes to his name. His review in The Guardian of NoViolet Bulawayo's Booker prize shortlisted book We Need New Names represents the classic Afropolitan response to any story dealing with a reality many Africans living on the continent are familiar with."

 

- Brian Bwesigwe

 

http://www.thisisafrica.me/opinion/detail/20042/is-afropolitanism-africa-s-new-single-story-reading-helon-habila-s-review-of-we-need-new-names

 

- Ikhide

 

Stalk my blog at http://www.xokigbo.com/

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--   kenneth w. harrow   faculty excellence advocate  professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  619 red cedar road  room C-614 wells hall  east lansing, mi 48824  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu