African literature, culture, and racial identity

While labelling Africa as ’exotic and mysterious’, we often forget that its residents had to go through centuries of slavery, colonialism, discrimination, and oppression. Slavery and colonial rule have been ended, but the poison of racism is still very much alive. The horrifying yet true account of race-related brutality and suffering can be seen in various African as well as non-African texts. Numerous artists and authors have attempted to address the issues of race, identity crisis, and demand equality. With Ngugi we “decolonize our mind” and Achebe brings “the second coming” which leads to Things Fall Apart, Soyinka bringing the culture via A Dance of the Forest which was a tribute to the dead people also who lost their lives in the fight for the independence. The present paper will attempt to throw some light on African literature, racism, trauma, and identity issues faced by the non-white community.