Introduction
Migration can be considered a worldwide issue, and African writers have depicted the impact of migration from Africa to Europe and North America, particularly in their creative works. In the 21st century, one of the recent trends of contemporary literature, particularly African Literature, is the increased attention paid to the global challenges created or fuelled by migration. Though migration has existed since time immemorial, it has become an overwhelming global issue worldwide in the past few decades. Most writers in literature deal with the themes such as identity crises, racism, cultural shock, discrimination, and stereotypes generated and caused by migration in their pieces of literature. Therefore, it is safe to say migration is one of the principal or core subject matters of many contemporary writings in African literature, along with corruption, socio-political instability, nepotism, gender discrimination, conflict/war, and other topics. Migration is one of today’s most serious global debates among academicians. Researchers and writers have looked into its various elements and analysed the impacts on migrants and host societies.
Colonialism refers to the scramble for, and partition and domination of continents, for instance, Africa, by the world powers in Europe. This contact opened a rich aspect of literature that dealt with the results and the impact Europe’s colonialism had on Africa and its people. African writers have long been entangled in the migration web, particularly during colonial rule, due to their participation in nationalist struggles for independence in their respective countries. As a result, a tradition of exiled writers formed around the late 1950s because many were forced to seek refuge in neighbouring countries or faraway lands, primarily due to their criticism of repressive regimes through their pieces of literature. However, this “exile” led to most writers’ “escape” from repressive colonial or dictatorship military regimes as coup d’etats had engulfed most African states in the post-colonial period. Dennis Brutus, Alex La Guma, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, among others, were members of the diaspora who wrote on colonialism, imperialism, tyranny, nepotism, brutality, and neo-colonial processes, as well as the high degree of impunity and corruption in their countries (Sabe, 2021). These socio-political ills constituted the core of post-colonial literature which discussed the after-effects of colonialism of the West in the world.
Migration in African Literature
Following the tracks of the prominent figures in African literature, contemporary African writers are increasingly showing more profound interest and concern for the theme of migration in their works of fiction. The frequency of migration as a significant subject matter or literary theme in African literature over the years further substantiates the relevance of this field and the rich resource it presents for literature writers. To illustrate this theme, the Malian writer Manthia Diawara’s memoir We Won’t Budge: An African Exile in the World (2003) beautifully shows what it means to experience “race” as an African in the world today. For example, in 2022, the media reports on television news outlets, such as British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Africa, prove the evidence of racism in our society today. These reports critically show how most African students and migrants fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine have reported facing -racial discrimination at the borders of Ukraine while being denied entry into neighbouring countries. Racial discrimination remains a global issue even in the 21st century. This literary piece is very relevant as the narrative has not changed. It also looks at how colonial assimilation affects immigrants’ daily lives and ambitions in France and the United States of America by comparing and contrasting the experiences of migrants in both countries beautifully (Kabore, 2016).
In a similar fashion, the Zimbabwean author Brian Chikwava writes about undocumented migration and life in the developed city of London in the novel Harare North (2009). This story is narrated through the lens of an unnamed Zimbabwean protagonist who is the narrator and is adamant about concealing his Zimbabwean past. This novel also tells the stories of many undocumented migrants searching for better life opportunities in London and Europe. Another example would be the works of the Nigerian writer Epaphras Chukwuenweniwe Osondu, who, in his collection of short stories, Voice of America: Stories (2009), represents Nigerians or Africans. The author, in one of the short stories, “A Letter From Home,” portrays a mother writing to her son, who is an immigrant in the United States of America, demanding financial assistance (Kabore, 2016). The novel, set in Nigeria, the United States of America, and unspecified locations in Africa, presents in graphic imagery the lives of people drenched in poverty, the imminent struggle for survival amidst hardship, and the intense dreams of escape through migration to the West. The novel also brings to the fore the lived experiences of Africans in the post-colonial dispensation.
Tahar Ben Jelloun’s A Palace in the Old Village (2009) is a story of a Moroccan migrant who stayed in Paris, France, and raised his family but sadly lost all friendly relationships with his ‘French assimilated’ children. The writer also showcases the pursuit of home (country of origin) from the immigrant’s perspective. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer, has published several novels: Purple Hibiscus (2004), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), Americanah (2013), and The Thing Around Your Neck, a collection of twelve short tales (2009), showing a profound interest in the subject of migration, especially from the perspective of women protagonists. Moreover, because these works are realistic reflections of current events, they are powerful indicators of the large-scale migration depicted in modern African literature (Kabore, 2016).
Often, the scholarly narratives on the emigration of Africans from Africa in the context of migration are unbalanced, which often creates stereotypes due to its one-sided approaches. The characteristics attributed are hardship, stark poverty, crises, war, famine, and political instability. These features are represented in the Western media and associated with the continent, Africa, and its migratory flows. While it contains a portion of the truth, for the African continent is replete with socio-political issues, the authors often present an exaggerated version of this truth. The African refugee and asylum-seeking migrant narratives are significant because, in some war-torn African countries, Africans seek refuge in many Western countries, including Europe, North America, and probably Asia. An intellectually curious individual (African or non-African) will wonder why migration is a recurring subject in African literature.
So, what fundamental factors drive the subject of migration as discussed or presented in African literature? In general, there are causative reasons why people immigrate. These factors can be categorised into two, which are the “push” and “pull” factors. To substantiate this fact, Christina Powell (2002) postulates that “in the case of economic migration, push factors would typically include economic conditions such as unemployment, low salaries or low per capita income relative to the country of destination. Pull factors would include migration legislation and the labour market situation in receiving countries. Involuntary displacement would be explained through factors such as state repression or fear of generalised violence or civil war”. It is safe to say that people have been migrating due to one or more of these reasons. However, one thing that strikes readers most is that in most African literature set in the post-colonial dispensation, there has been a generalised conclusion that Africans migrate only because of conflicts, war, or poverty. Writers illustrate these in their works, often. For instance, in some of her literary works, Adichie, the Nigerian writer, feminist, and storyteller, demonstrates migration for a change in the economic status quo, fleeing from conflict or war, and political instability. However, even though this is a fundamental (primary) reason, seeing how the continent has fared in terms of political and socio-economic antecedents may side-line other angles through which writers could approach migration in African literature.
Conclusion
The experiences with migration can either be positive or negative. For many Africans, migration is successful if living conditions are improved and stable in the host countries. However, it could come with unexpected realities laden with utter disappointment due to the harsh realities faced on many occasions. These realities include loneliness, cultural shock and gaps, language barriers, xenophobia, and discrimination based on race and colour. All these hardships compel some Africans to return (what some scholars call return migration) to their home countries while others stay back, unable to confide in their families back in Africa and learn to cope with the despair and dashed hopes. The communal way of living and association in Africa contrasts with the organisation of life in other societies, for instance, in the West, because African communities are very closely knitted.
This article shows how relevant and evident migration is in African literature. Migration shall further shape the course of literature in years to come because the migration discourses are still very much relevant and, thus, will provide more materials for African literature. Yes, literature entertains, but an African writer’s primary responsibility, as seen through their creative works, is to write about realities, unique peculiarities, and themes that affect the people and their experiences. In all, they hold closely as a compass in their works the critical function of literature: teaching didactic lessons to educate and change society.
References
Adichie, C. N. (2013). Americanah. London: Fourth Estate.
Adichie, C. N. (2004). Purple Hibiscus. London: Fourth Estate.
Adichie, C. N. (2009). The Thing Around Your Neck. London: Fourth Estate.
Chikwava, B. (2009). Harare North. London: Jonathan Cape Publishers.
Diawara, M. (2003). We Won’t Budge: An African Exile in the World. New York: Basic Chivitas Books.
Jelloun T. B. (2011). A Palace in the Old Village. New York: Penguin Books.
Kabore, A. (2016). Migration in African Literature: A Case Study of Adichie’s Works. Revue du CAMES Littérature, langues et linguistique Numéro http://publication.lecames.org/index.php/lit/article/viewFile/833/596
Sabe, B. A. (2021). Migration In African Literature: A Study From Selected Hausa Novels. Bulletin of the Faculty of Languages & Translation https://journals.ekb.eg/article_162114.html
Osondu E. C. (2009). Voice of America: Stories. New York: Harper. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2002, December). Addressing the causes of migratory and refugee movements: the role of the European Union, Christina Boswell. UNHCR. Retrieved February 28, 2022, from https://www.unhcr.org/research/working/3e19ac624/addressing-causes-migratory-refugee-movements-role-european-union-christina.html
Anya Sarah Itse holds a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria. She is passionate about literature, writing, a lover of history, and social change. Currently, she is a prospective graduate student and seeks internship positions to build more expertise in international migration and related areas. Her area of research interests include literature, migration, especially in Anglophone and Francophone literature, post-colonial studies, intercultural relations, sociolinguistics, gender and feminism. Twitter: @Anya_Agyer