African Hybrids: Exploring Afropolitan identity formation in Taiye Selasi’s Ghana must go and Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah

Abstract

This paper discusses the representation of Afropolitan identity formation in Taiye Selasi’s debut novel Ghana must go (2013), and Chima manda Adichie’s novel Americanah (2013). The aim of the paper is to discuss Afropolitan identity formation as presented in the two novels using Selasi’s (2005) essay Who is an Afropolitan? as a benchmark. Selasi blends the words ‘Africa’ and ‘cosmopolitan’ in her essay, which discusses several themes, namely: cultural hybridity, careers, identity formation, self-expression and an African bond as they relate to the Afropolitan. Although we have listed all the major themes above, this paper only focuses on the theme of Afropolitan identity formation. For example, in Ghana must go (2013) Kehinde, the twin boy struggles with his identity because of his Scottish heritage which gives him a skin complexion that is neither black nor white and he does not know what nationality to consider himself. In Americanah (2013), Dike also struggles with his identity because he expresses in a school essay that he does not know his identity and that his name is difficult to pronounce. The analysis concluded that not only do Afropolitans need to craft an identity on three levels according to Selasi (2005, para. 9) “national, racial, cultural – with subtle tensions in between”, but the experience can be traumatic and painful, both emotionally and physically. This paper contributes to knowledge of the world as a global village, but more specifically the international integration of cultures as expressed in literature, not only in the African diaspora, but in Africa as well.