Literature and Diaspora
African literature is a subject that’s had considerable interest for me for many years now, and every now and then a new book or a new author will turn up, although it’s more usual to find only the usual shelf contents or nothing at all. Nigerian author, Chris Abani, who is new to me, has turned up in the news because one of his books has finally been published in the U.S., although he’s been serially imprisoned and exiled since the 1980’s for his activities as a writer. Nigeria has a long post-colonial literary tradition, Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka being the most notable of those with a visible presence outside their continent, Achebe because Things Fall Apart is on pretty much every high school or college freshman introduction to literature syllabus in the U.S., and Soyinka because he won the Nobel. It’s very good to see someone else getting notice – and getting published – although I do wish there was more notice taken sometimes. Ayi Kwei Armah from Ghana, Ngugi Wa Thiongo from Kenya, Mongo Beti from Cameroon . . . there are a host of others, some more or less notable, but most only published in France or England and then only in marginal press runs, limiting their availability. The “African Writers Series” published by Heinemann is a resource worth reviewing for anyone who’s interested.