#africanperspective

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We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo – review

NoViolet Bulawayo has extended her Caine prize-winning short story about a Zimbabwean girl coming of age in the US into a novel. But has the prize created an African aesthetic of suffering? asks Helon Habila

In a critique of Bulaway’s novel, author Habila questions whether new African fiction aims to appeal to “a Caine prize aesthetic”, instead of reflecting authentic realities. She criticizes Bulawayo’s novel as being filled with all the common problematic tropes that are associated with Africa such as poverty-porn, political violence, AIDs, and children escaping to America for a better life. She suggests that Bulawayo is only really expressing herself freely in instances in the book when she no longer feels the need to narrate and comment on Africa’s social and political situation.  

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The world is a dark and ugly place, a lot of that ugliness and injustice is present in Africa, but we don't turn to literature to confirm that. The news is enough. What we turn to literature for is its ability to transport us beyond the headlines.

Helon Habila

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Do you think it’s fair to say that a story is invalid or unauthentically African because it’s diasporic or Western-centered?

Submit your answer

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#TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou Campaign

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#TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou Campaign

Four examples of tweets posted which gained a lot of traction during the peak of the campaign including African heads of state, rich culture, and beautiful geographical landscapes and landmarks. 

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#TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou Campaign

The campaign was started by a seventeen year old user from Ghana attempting to showcase Africa’s rich culture and natural beauty by using the hashtag on Twitter. The purpose was to counteract the afro-pessimist approach. It first gained traction in South Africa, moving onto Kenya, and then Senegal. Then, the campaign peaked in 2015 on Twitter crossing over to other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, etc.

The hashtag was even seen on news outlets such as BBC, The Guardian, and Quartz. Furthermore, the hashtag produced over 100 000 tweets in 2015 showcasing images of Africa’s unique geographical beauty, high-fashion, art, and cuisine. The creator’s goal was to help change the negative stereotypes associated with Africa perpetuated by the media in hopes of also attracting tourists. She also emphasized that the mission of this campaign was NOT to erase problems found within Africa, but rather celebrate the beauty across the continent.

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Based on the graph above, it is interesting to see that social media lacks trust in the context of Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. This suggests that there are multiple perspectives towards social media along with stories. 

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Exposing One-sidedness 

Various youtube videos with a growing number of afro-positive speakers are seeking to undermine the one-sidedness representations of Africa. The video above is an example where a TEDx speaker advocates for “a new narrative”.