Hello,
We have just started our unit on post-colonial studies, and our professor, Dr. Dilip Barad, has provided the basic outline for this unit. To further our work on this unit, we were assigned a Sunday reading task, which involves watching three TED Talks by the prominent Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and writing about the ideas we found most compelling.
This blogs post contains a few ideas from the videos. Click here for Teacher's blog.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda is a prolific feminist Nigerian novelist, short story, and non-fiction writers. Her works explores the aspects of black feminism in general, and talks about the hardships, that is faced by black women across the world. She has written the novels such as, Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), and Americanah (2013), the short story collection The Thing Around Your Neck (2009), and the book-length essay We Should All Be Feminists (2014).
Dangers of the 'Only Story'
Chimamanda Adichie discusses the danger of the "single story" or the idea of a single narrative about any country, race, or group of people. This creation of a single narrative generates stereotypes about specific groups. She shares her own experience, as a child, she was an avid reader and read many British and American children's literature books. She was influenced by British fiction and believed that heroes or heroines could only be white-skinned people with blue eyes. She never thought that a character like herself could also be the protagonist until she discovered other African writers like Chinua Achebe.
This is the powerful influence of a single story. Literature produced before the advent of postcolonial studies often portrayed Black people as primitive, "Other," and uncivilized. For a long time, white people have considered Black people as savages and constructed a single story about all African Black people as ruthless and uncivilized, waiting to be civilized by white people. British writers began this long ago, depicting Africans or Black people as primitive and savage. If white people were good, Africans were bad. If white people represented light, then Black people were trapped in darkness. On a binary level, Africans were always marginalized and seen as perpetually inferior in every aspect of life. Black people are referred to as "half-devil, half-child" in the poem by one of the most prominent poets, Rudyard Kipling. Shakespeare's work "The Tempest" is considered archetypal in postcolonial studies, where Shakespeare imagines an uncivilized man named Caliban on an uninhabited island, where Prospero teaches him his language and enslaves him. Writers like Joseph Conrad portray Africans as very savage and uncivilized in his work 'Heart of Darkness'.
She shares a story about her experience when she came to America for her studies and found her white roommate startled to hear her speak English fluently. To her roommate, who only knew a single story of Africa. A story of poverty, violence, and starvation, it was surprising to see a Black woman like Chimamanda who didn't fit that narrative. Chimamanda counters this perception by referring to the movie *American Psycho*, in which an American businessman is depicted as a serial killer. She questions whether it would be fair to judge all Americans as cold-hearted murderers based on a single movie. The point she emphasizes is that we should view things from multiple perspectives and not rely on a single story or different versions of the same narrative.
"Single story robs people of their dignity"
In this context, who tells the story becomes crucial, as it often depends on power dynamics. Those in positions of power tend to dominate and impose their narratives on others. Consider the example of India, when we were a colony of the British, they held the power and attempted to impose their way of life and the English language on us. They viewed Indians as inferior, but in response, Indians learned their language and used it as a tool to retaliate. This also marked the rise of Indian English Literature.
Islamophobia is a contemporary example of the single-story narrative, particularly in relation to Pakistani people. They are often associated with terrorism, but the question arises that can we judge all Pakistani people based on this single narrative? Or should we explore other aspects of Pakistan and its people to gain a more accurate and clear understanding?
We Should All Be Feminist
Postcolonialism is also valuable tool in feminist discourse. In patriarchal societies, women have long been viewed as inferior to men, often considered subservient or even enslaved to men. In today's world, feminist discourse is crucial as women are competing with men in various fields, yet they are often not given equal opportunities. Even when opportunities are provided, women frequently face wage discrimination.
"The higher you go, the fewer women there are" - Wangari Maathai
This discrimination has roots in ancient times when survival (of fittest) was the primary goal of human beings. Physical strength and endurance, traits in which men often have a biological advantage, were crucial for survival. As a result, societies became male-dominated. However, as society has evolved, so too should our understanding of gender roles. We must adapt to today’s context and needs, recognizing that physical strength is no longer the sole determinant of a person’s value or capabilities. It’s essential to move beyond these outdated norms and work towards true equality, where opportunities are not limited by gender.
Chimamanda give her own definition of feminism,
"yes there is a problem with gender as it is today, and we must fix it, we must do better"
In her TED Talk, Chimamanda Adichie shares an insightful account of her experiences as a Black woman. She recounts her childhood and her early days as a young writer. Despite being a clever student and achieving high marks, she was not allowed to become a class monitor simply because she was a girl. The challenges for Black women are even greater, as they are often dominated not only by white people but also by white women. This double layer of discrimination led to the emergence of a specific form of feminism for Black women. In many Black African societies, women are treated as if they are invisible, as though they do not exist.
We need to adopt a different and more progressive mindset, raising our children in a way that teaches them not to discriminate between men and women.
Burden of Passing Out From Famous Institutes
Chimamanda Adichie addressed the students of Harvard University on the occasion of their graduation, emphasizing the importance of truth in an era dominated by deepfakes and post-truth narratives, where truth is often altered and distorted. She highlighted how governments and politicians may present only one side of the truth, leaving people in the dark about certain issues.
One idea I particularly liked was her discussion about the burden that graduates from prestigious universities often carry. The labels of intelligence, intellectuality, and smartness are inevitably associated with them, which can be stifling. As humans, we all make mistakes, and it's perfectly acceptable not to have all the answers. Success comes at different times for everyone, and learning occurs at one's own pace. However, those who are capable should strive to reform society for future generations.
Thank you for visiting.
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