“AMERICANAH” MAY DO WHAT “A MAN OF THE PEOPLE” DID. Yes, Chimamanda Adichie’s “AMERICANAH” may end up doing what Chinua Achebe’s “A MAN OF THE PEOPLE” did. I do not know how it may happen, and I don’t even want to begin to dig deep and explain to you how it may happen, but it may happen. And what may happen? The political issues Chimamanda Adichie raised in her most recent publication “AMERICANAH”, will one day, become the most debated and most discoursed things in our time, just like the political issues Chinua Achebe raised in his “A MAN OF THE PEOPLE”, which were the most debated and most discoursed things in their own time. Even if it doesn’t happen in our times, it will happen after our time. Something convinces me that historians and political writers will in future; raise a lot of questions about the Nigeria of the late 80s, 90s and 2000s from that very novel called “AMERICANAH”, authored by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The attention presently given to that novel hasn’t been much like it should, considering the issues the author raised there. But like I think; it won’t be now, it will be later. And it may come with force, such that we’ll begin to ask; “Is it not the “AMERICANAH” I knew when it was published”? And might I confess; I do have problems with the way Chimamanda promotes feminism amongst Nigerian ladies which can be described as “no-need-of-men-whatsoever-kinda feminism”, but I have fallen in love with her courage to talk politics in a very simple way even as she interestingly pretends like she’s more into romance et al. Like she described one of her characters in AMERICANAH, Sister Ibinabo, as “powerful but pretended to wear her power lightly”, so too do I think of her in her powerful strides in discussing Nigerian politics and socio-political rots in her work. From pages 26-27 of AMERICANAH, Adichie spoke and revealed something disturbing via one of her characters, Nneoma: “This is your opportunity! The Zed, shine your eyes! They call it big-big name, evaluation consulting, but it’s not difficult. You undervalue the properties and make sure it looks as if you are following due process. You acquire the property, sell off half to pay your purchase price, and you are in business! You’ll register your own company. Next thing, you’ll build a house in Lekki and buy some cars and ask our hometown to give you some titles and your friends to put congratulatory messages in the newspapers for you and before you know, any bank you walk into, they will want to package a loan for you immediately and give it you, because they think you no longer need the money! And after you register your own company, you must find a white man. Find one of your white friends from England. Tell everybody he is your General Manager. You will see how doors will open for you because you have oyinbo General Manager. Even the Chief has some white men that he brings in for show when he needs them. That is how Nigeria works. I’m telling you”. Beyond Nigeria, these lines will be re-visited over and over again by other African writers and intellectuals. I’m not prophesying nor predicting. But that is what my spirit tells me of Adichie and her book AMERICANAH. You can mark it somewhere! And you can think about it. Daalu nu! Good day!
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 08:28:42 +0000
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