In what ways do African writers explore the theme of race?
The theme of race is displayed in most African literature, as an inherent consequence of colonialism that had previously, or continues to be active in Africa. Europe’s ‘scramble for Africa’ created the foundation for great divisions to occur in single countries and multiple countries in Africa alike, it divided tribe from tribe and created the need for a recognised political independence - the after effects of which are characterised by the Biafran struggle for independence in ‘Half of a Yellow Sun‘. In a similar fashion, Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ exposes the barbaric truth of colonisation as a vehicle for corruption and debauchery under the pretence of ‘civilising’ the Congolese natives.
In Adichie’s ‘Half of a Yellow Sun,’ Nigeria had just become independent of the United Kingdom, and already, tensions are brewing between the Hausa and Igbo people. Their divide is racially motivated, not in an aesthetic manner since both ethnic groups are Nigerian by descent but rather, in a cultural and religious manner. The Igbo-Hausa divide and the struggle of Biafra lay a foundation for the theme of race, however it is the representation of the Igbo majority that conveys the theme of race on a greater scale. Olanna and Odenigbo, alongside their intellectual friends, have troubled many critics who argue the ‘African authenticity’ of the novel. They cite these characters who are: ‘educated, drive cars and are not starving,’ as apparently not authentic - a notion that Adichie has addressed emphatically in a TEDtalks lecture in which she breaks down the African stereotypes by warning readers against subscribing to the ‘single story’ - our immersion in media and public opinion had led to narrow minded stereotypes which then disappoint us when we realise how far fetched these assumptions really are.