Who Really Tells the Authentic African Story?

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Adewale Amoo

Every individual, community, town, and even, to a large extent, a country has its own story which incorporates diverse experiences, from origin, culture and religion to other experiences such as socio-political and socio-economic systems. Before the advent of writing, every human society passed its stories through word of mouth from one generation to another. After the introduction of writing, which facilitates the documentation and preservation of diverse human experiences across the globe, a constant worry has been purposefully addressed by a network of African scholars attempting to answer the question: who is telling the authentic story of Africa, who has done it, and who is going to change the status quo of the current strain?

The question is based on different phenomena, from what is the true nomenclature and definition of an African story, to whether a story written by an African alone can categorically be considered African, or whether it must be written in an African language or whether the story of Africa should be written by outsiders and still be accepted as an African story. All the foregoing have been debatable among African scholars seeking to derive a reasonable conclusion on the authentic narratives of Africa.

Henceforth in this article, the use of "story" and "literature" will be used interchangeably. As stated in the first paragraph, the issue of the authenticity of African stories has been addressed by different African scholars. Two of the most cited definitions of African literature are by Chinua Achebe and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. Both of these most respected writers in Africa have different perspectives on what truly constitutes African literature. For the former, he believes that African literature is literature that takes its bearing from African experience. He asserts that the African story remains intact as long as the language used carries the identity, culture, belief, and issues of Africa. The language must be Africanised in dimension. The latter posits that African literature is literature written in African languages, expressing African culture. His belief is thus: for any African story to be considered African, it must be written in African languages.

Another question often raised is whether outsiders can tell the story of Africa. This phenomenon too has been consistently debatable among African intellectuals. Many believe that the story of Africa can be solely delivered by Africans, not by outsiders, especially Western people. Others argue that an authentic story of African experience, spanning culture, religion and other realities, can be truly passed across by indigenous people of Africa, and conversely, if recounted by outsiders, it might be embellished with different elements, including bias, jealousy and other negative perspectives.

Does African literature remain African if it is written in English or follows a Western narrative structure? In his stand, Abiola Irele posits that African literature is defined by experience and imagination, not linguistic purity. He emphasizes how the story portrays the experiences of Africa, not the language medium. Also, Chinua Achebe strongly argues that African literature remains African even when written in English or shaped by Western forms. He emphasizes that English can be "Africanised" - adapted to reflect African speech patterns, proverbs and thought systems. Conversely, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o argues that African literature cannot fully remain African if it is written in colonial languages or follows Western structures. For him, the true African story must be told through indigenous African languages. Language carries culture; therefore, writing in English alienates African literature from its roots.

To bring the above illustrations to reality, let us take a look at many literary works of African literature. In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, for instance, one of the most read and translated novels in Africa, the story of Africa is captured. Achebe recounts the story of his Igbo people's culture through the narrative of Okonkwo, and we readers learn more about the cultural view of the Igbo community. Also in the novel, Achebe tells the story of Nigeria's colonial encounters through which he thematises the issues of cultural clash and colonial Eurocentrism, among others. Most importantly, the novel incorporates some African oral elements, including myth, proverbs, songs and others. Achebe's use of language is very noticeable as African in nature. In other words, the language is Africanised and vividly carries Africaness.

In Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman, the playwright dramatises the cultural and religious beliefs of his community, the Yoruba. Through the major character, Elesin Oba, Soyinka recounts the Yoruba cosmology, and the play thematises cultural clash and colonial influence in Nigeria. The play is an adaptation of the historical reality of the Oyo Kingdom during the colonial period in Nigeria. Soyinka addresses the issue of the misunderstanding of other people's beliefs by Western people. Through their misunderstanding, they try to disrupt the suicide ritual of Elesin Oba, which leads to tragic consequences in the play, where Elesin Oba's son, Olunde, later takes his father's responsibility by maintaining the ritual suicide. Also in the play, Soyinka embeds many elements related to Africa, from song, dance, proverbs, ritual and drum.

Another African story written by an African is The Old Man and the Medal by Ferdinand Oyono. The novel follows the old man, Meka, through whom Oyono portrays the colonial encounters and the result of the gullibility of Africans in leaving their world and embracing a foreign one. In this novel, the author thematises the issues of colonial exploitation, disillusionment, and many other concerns affecting the whole of Africa. Through this narrative, Oyono imaginatively recounts the story of Africa encountering colonial masters and the consequences of African gullible embracement of the Western world.

In conclusion, the story of Africa has been recounted by different African authors, each of whom has contributed to addressing different issues affecting their immediate communities. Through their works, they embed the historical, cultural, religious, sociological and economic realities of Africa into their literary outputs. Despite this, the issue of who gets to tell the African story remains, whether it must be insiders or outsiders before being considered an African story, or whether the indigenous languages of Africa are the only suitable medium for African stories. All these questions have been debated for decades.