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| Ngugi Wa Thiongo: African Literature. |
The langauge of African literature can't be discussed meaningfully outside the context of those social forces, which have made it both; issue demanding our attention and a problem calling for a resolution.
Imperialism continues to control the economy, politics and cultures of Africa. But on the other pitted against it, are the ceaseless struggles of African people to liberate their economy, politics and culture from Euro-American based stranglehold to usher a new era of true communal self-regulation and self-determination.
Exactly, if one is trying to control, another should strive their best to liberate those foundational essentials, that contribute in making any country as well as when comes, can destroy also as is practised by Euro-American Imperialists. If tried a hand in likewise manner then only one may have hope, if they may be having an usher of new era in the form of self-regulative and self-determinative communities because noone likes to live under such power, if one is given reasonably enough rights of living better in their countries, then why one won't prefer to? One should be what one is, rather than paying homage to others.
How it is disheartening when we people, though have control on our lives and suddenly someone came and says that now I'm proprietor of your life and you have to do, as I direct you! How it would be? Is this fair to digest? Even though it isn't fairly digestible, but we have to work accordingly..Is it in this stage, where we are forced to deaden our conscience? Then how it would be...like something was teeming with life, but a touch of grave reality, has dried its roots. Where only the chaf of dried grass is there that has turned into golden ashes, which is now devalued and it is now fated to dissolve into whatever substance, it wants to because it has now lost its effect and when one thing is becoming ineffective, it is useless to see or even observe, where it is restraining and where it is giving reaction with abundant force.
In this manner some conferences being held at that time where they were required though belonging to Africa country to represent their work in English Language. The experiences which were suppose to be narrated, hailed from Africa and the language of narration was of English(which was giving them othering effect).
Associating African literature, many unwanted, unpleasant things are related with African theatre and fiction also for which Chinua Achebe has shared some of his references and African novels.
Thus in this partial manner, we can say that "It was African literature". It was also there that if there works are written in their language than those won't get that recognition which was given to English literature. So only choice was to have English as representational language.
Victoria & Abdul, is a 2017 British Biographical drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Lee Hall. The film is based on the book of same name by Sharbani Basu, about the real-life relationship between Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her Indian muslim servant Abdul Karim.
It stars Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Feldie, Izzard, Tim Piggot, Smith and Adeel Akhtar.
Concerning two characters; queen Victoria and Abdul(a muslim servant) as the critique of this very movie says, that: Queen Victoria faced all antagonism against her friendship with Abdul by the courtiers, while treating Abdul as an exotic pet that gives him a new lease of life.
[We may say here that as Abdul belongs to muslim family and perhaps from literally backward class, he is unable to recognize or identify, what Queen Victoria is doing. Yes she is serving him as per her conveinity, but how long, for this later part Abdul has to think that how long he will allow himself to be a subservient rather than understanding his own position and try to improve it. Noone can live in such environment very long and it seems to be sophisticated colonization, because here indirectly your tongue isn't given voice, rather it is indirectly crushed under your master's feet and as you are served beyond your expectations you're becoming happy with that temporal phase of life].
Abdul is so much obsessed, serving the queen that he isn't able to realize what he is doing, though one of the Indian servants, hired by Britishers is dead and without faltering he continues his service towards the queen. It seems as he is just tumbled into Queen Victoria's feet and may incapacitated and lacks ability to perform well so behaving in subordinative manner, while one can't do such things willingly but here it seems as Abdul has made this peculiar choice of doing so(he kisses the ground where Queen steps).
If applying here post-colonial reading of India, Britshers economized their Industrial revolution through plundering India, reducing the country's share of the world economy from 13 percent to 4. While during 1976-78 and 1999-90 due to exploitation of local produce(grain) led to unprecedented poverty under the British Raj and thought to have killed up to 10 million people each. An instance of Jalianwala Baugh massacre(1921) where non-violent Indian protesters were fired by the British Indian Army(over thousand dead and many more thousand wounded).
If we see this through Indian perspective then many Indians may be reading Abdul as anti-Indian with faulty conscience that how one can be so much subordinate that he can't differentiate for himself, whether what is good or bad and ignorantly like to be treated exotically but not asking himself the question and not even realizing.
Works Cited
Thiongo, Ngugi, Wa., "Decolonizing the mind: The Politics of language in African Literature".
"Abdul&Victoria: The Post Colonial Critique of the film". Written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Frears, 2017.
Source Adoption
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| Barad, Dilip., "Shashi Tharoor and Dark Era of Inglorious Empire", Monday, 10 Sept., 2018. |
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