ENG 482: Poetics of Relation Research Guide: Of Africa

The reader encounters stories of a not so pleasant yesteryear filtered through what seems to be a gaping hole. Soyinka is brutally descriptive and honest in not only his criticism of the past colonial powers but the current leaders of his beloved African nations. The established “democracy” is nothing but a mere circus act meant to distract the people by giving them a false sense of control and hope.

Soyinka has quite a bit to say about the appointed leaders and their debilitating influence on Africa. For him, the problem doesn’t lie with the estranged race ruling over the suppressed and appointed inferior anymore. It may have started as such, however, the nature of the relationship between the colonizer and colonized has evolved.

-Javier Robles 15’

While I agreed with many of Soyinka's arguments within Of Africa, I found myself largely at odds with his ideas about the place of religion within the modern world.  After some consideration, I find the core of my disagreement with Soyinka comes from the different ways in which we define religion.  For Soyinka, religion is "'invisible'" and set aside completely when making choices as to "'what is right and wrong and in the interest of the common good'" (102).   In my mind, Soyinka wants philosophy- a system that provides general insights about life.  To me, however, religion is different.  Certainly, having faith means both consulting "specialists" (Soyinka 102) and giving considerable weight to what has been proven to be true, in some instances.  Yet, religion is about providing guidance- sometimes in the form of dictates and sometimes not- in all aspects of life to varying degrees of specificity.  That Soyinka and I disagree in our definitions of religion and philosophy- while personally interesting- is not the core take away, though.  Rather, the fact that such disagreement arose simply because of a difference in perspective points to one of Soyinka's main goals in writing Of Africa:  to highlight the fact that when disagreement inevitably occurs all views should be considered equally.

-Grayson Hill 15’

“...Unlike Christianity and Islam, African spirituality does not compromise the cohabitation of religion and humanity. The unique characteristic of African spirituality is that it “offers a distinct world-view that lays claim to guidance—not dictates!—of its social conduct, human relations, and survival strategies” (105). Instead, African spirituality appreciates the interconnectivity of all things. Because “the world of the ancestor, the world of the living, and the world of the unborn are woven are woven together in mundane, domestic consciousness,” humanity is never forgotten (158). In African spirituality, individuals are seen in a transitory state. While living is not forever, death is not the end; reincarnation and restoration occurs through human beings...”

-Aminata Dumbuya 14’

As I reflect on my own perceptions of African identities around the world, I wish to evaluate my notions of the African historical narrative. One of Soyinka’s broader questions in chapter two particularly resonated with me: “Could it be that Africa yet awaits discovery?”(28). He acknowledges that Africa has no discovery narrative, unlike many other nations, particularly the United States.  He suggests that the initial explorers should be the “indigenes themselves, astonished at what they had always taken for granted, or overlooked”(28). Yet, he also claims that this discovery should start with the “external.” I do not fully understand who he addresses as external populations, and I wonder what role I am supposed to play, assuming I am a member of this group that needs to confront our own need of self-discovery before we can contribute to the “discovery” of Africa.

Soyinka describes the veiled presence of many “passive” participators at the babalowo’s clinic: “I was also able to observe that the babalowo’s consulting shack was patronized by practicing Christians and Moslems- a number of them sneaking in after dusk or in the early morning on their way to white collar duties”(110). He subtly points to the hypocrisy of the Christianity and Islam by alluding to their participation in a religion they widely condemned. Even Soyinka’s own family deemed the spiritual healer a “pagan,” yet utilized his pharmaceutical remedies within the home.

Regardless of the subtle presence of the Orisa tradition within Soyinka’s household and within much of the Western medical tradition, Christians and Muslims still quickly condemn the religion as uncivilized. Yet, Africans maintain grace notwithstanding Westerner’s close-minded presumptions:

Yes, even those who, centuries after the Age of Reason and its underlying spirit of enquiry, still deem a continent backward and satanic that had proved itself capable of weaving and sustaining such a rich tapestry of intuitive forces...Despite them all, however, Africa survives to teach the world-even without proselytizing(116).

Soyinka demonstrates the sophistication of the Orisa religion by juxtaposing the religion with the claims of barbarism and Satanic influence that Westerners argue pervade Africa. He addresses the perceived notions that African religion is thoughtless, when in reality, followers of this tradition refrain from condemnation of other practices and differ radically from the oppressive methods by which Europeans colonized under the guise of Christianity.

-Taylor Pisel 14’

Of Africa makes clear that no single country in Africa operates as a single entity, which I believe to be one of the many reasons why Soyinka feels called to speak for the entire continent of Africa rather than the nation of Nigeria.  While his task is large, Soyinka succeeds in painting a broad picture of an imperfect Africa that is victim of human evil inside and out, but is vindicated from the western prejudice that he is criticizing by its “spirituality”.  Soyinka points out that, “in contrast to aggressively proselytizing Christianity and Islam, with their Crusades and Inquisitions, jihads and fatwas, African religions are “accommodative,” non-evangelizing and aware…of the connection between body and soul.  Priests are not a superior caste.  There is no excommunication or ferocity toward infidels”.  

Soyinka’s literary background makes for an expressive and sensitive read – his account is filled with imagery and carries a distinctive voice.  He has the ability to write on many levels – for historical and political pundits, or for laymen like myself.  However, there seems to me to be some disjunction throughout his prose.  In places he writes in a simplistic and engaging style, and in others his diction is overly flowery and difficult to comprehend.  In some instances he writes in a classical style rather than in the Anglo-Saxon, making his arguments sound clinical and wordy rather than clear and concise.  Overall, however, Of Africa transcends the extreme intellectualism he is known for, while preserving his inspired ideas, making them accessible and comprehendible to the public.  His thoughts have fundamental value, but, as a result of his inconsistent prose, I believe that in this cry for justice and reform, he was more interested in the message than in medium.

-Carolyn Griffith 14’

I can remember instances in years past in which I was fostering a habit for selective history learning in an opposite, but I believe equally dangerous, way to the one Soyinka describes about learning history. Instead of ignoring the ugliest parts of history, I was learning only the ugliest parts of Africa’s current affairs. I was only reading about the genocides, wars, and racial struggles in various countries at various times, but it caused me to subconsciously further the narrative that Africa is a place of chaos, war, and uncivilized life. I was never learning about the victories of countries to resolve centuries-old feuds and the declaration of newly independent states. Instead I was focused only on the atrocities at hand, through the lens of the Western media. In this way I was walking myself around the Forgetting Tree, learning a selective account of Africa’s current affairs, to my personal detriment.

-Mark Brannan ‘14

While the tree of forgetfulness metaphor builds on previous readings that exemplified the removal and denial of African turmoil from the depths of European memory, Soyinka relates the tree to a modern travesty, the genocide in Darfur. He illustrates the tree of forgetfulness at work in Darfur with the following example: “This incident [the uproar over cartoons of Prophet Mohammed], of seemingly apocalyptic dimension, drove into obscurity…the genocidal onslaught of Darfur” (76-77). The international media’s shoving of Darfur’s genocide under the rug of denial and no return dissuaded the public from facing the gloom faces of two to three million people (76). Soyinka’s particular usage of the word “obscurity” conjures the inconspicuousness of what was occurring in Darfur alongside the perceived atrociousness of some published paper drawings. Although one cannot deny the prejudice of these cartoons, the fact that they were beating out mass genocide in the international media is absurd.

-Catherine O’Donnell ‘15