3 Must-Read Tales of the African Diaspora
The African Union (AU) defines the African diaspora (there are several definitions) as those of “native African origin living outside the continent, irrespective of their citizenship and nationality and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union.” To that end, it is incumbent on the diaspora to contribute to the development of and, indeed, the perception of the continent: to shatter the myths that continue to plague it. And the fruits of Africans in the diaspora are plentiful. True, the West is chiefly the beneficiary of diaspora talents, but Africa can rightfully derive vicarious pride in the work of her children abroad.
Below are three must-read tales of the African diaspora written by novelists whose astonishing gift for the written word illuminates the unique experiences of the diaspora. The style, charm and sensibilities of each writer compellingly evoke the trials and tribulations of Africans living in the diaspora. All the novels below make for absorbing reading. Read on.
How to read the air (2010) by Dinaw Mengestu
Addis Ababa-born Mengestu is, unsurprisingly, a multi-award winner, including awards for two of his novels, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears (2007) and How to Read the Air. Mengestu is also a recipient of a 5 Under 35 award, a 20 Under 35 award from the National Book Foundation, a 20 Under 40 award from The New Yorker. To cap it all, with plenty more accolades in between, he is a recipient of a 2012 MacArthur Foundation genius grant.
How to read the air is a book that interrogates the contemporary American immigrant experience, delving into hardy-perennial themes of love and grief but, above all, the search for an anchoring narrative in one’s life. How we hold together the events and people in our lives and carry them with us.
This novel weaves the story of Jonas, a young man in New York conditioned from childhood to be unobtrusive and non-confrontational, with that of his parents, immigrants from Ethiopia who settled in Illinois. His reserved nature and his distant relationship with his parents affect his marriage to the beautiful Angela.
From the book: “We persist and linger longer than we think, leaving traces of ourselves wherever we go.”
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Although she needs no introduction, it’s worth celebrating one of Nigeria’s most visible novelists by mentioning some of her most notable accolades. These include her Orange Prize award for Half of a Yellow Sun, and an NBBC award for Americanah, which was also a New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year. She is also a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship.
Americanah is a novel that spans three continents and numerous lives. It explores themes of love, race, identity and, above all, of the idea of ‘home’. The book tells the story of teenagers Ifemelu and Obinze whose lives are forced apart when both flee Nigeria during the time of a military dictatorship. Extra-confident Ifemelu heads to America, settling in the East Coast where she experiences the grim reality of life as an ‘other’. Obinze, who had hoped to join her, is unable to and instead leads the undocumented life in the United Kingdom. Thirteen years later, fortunes changed in unexpected ways, they have the chance to meet one another again.
From the book: “He was also newly rich and newly disoriented: one week he was broke and squatting in his cousin’s flat and the next he had millions of naira in his bank account.”
Open City, by Teju Cole
Our third and final pick of African diaspora novels is Open City by Teju Cole. Cole’s distinctions include the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Internationaler Literaturpreis, the New York City Book Award, and the Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction.
The narrative of Open City unravels inside the mind of a half-German, half-Nigerian doctor (psychiatrist), who takes to the streets of Manhattan as a form of escape from his problems. Relationships, race, identity and what it means to be an African immigrant are all explored in this piercing, sensitive account.
Which of these will you read first? Or try any from this selection of great African books.
