“A man can find a home anywhere”: african mobility and the fall of dreams in behold the dreamers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35520/mulemba.2020.v12n22a39815Keywords:
Journey, mobility, African Literatures, Cameroon LiteratureAbstract
Inspired by the notion of mobility explored by Zachary Guthrie’s book Bound for Work: Labor, Mobility, and Colonial Rule in Central Mozambique, 1940-1965, this study aims to analyze the journey of the Cameroonian characters in Imbolo Mbue’s novel Behold the Dreamers by showing how travelling outside of Africa can become a means of representing and understanding what is considered foreign and Other. In addition, assist on the understanding of self-perception and self-definition (Moffat), but also how said understanding does not exclude a complex net of illusions, disappointments and failures. As Behold the Dreamers shows, the voluntarily moving outside of Africa in search of a better life is not simple for it is burdened with political, racial, social class, and employment issues, as well as misconceptions of the West.References
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