Black novelists, poets, and playwrights have long been at the forefront of reclaiming their narratives, a theme that perfectly aligns with this year’s Black History Month. To delve deeper into this tradition, we reached out to acclaimed novelist Ben Okri, who reflects on its origins and future directions.
“Defining a people’s past is crucial in shaping their future,” Okri asserts. “The past fundamentally shapes a people’s identity.” It’s no surprise that modern literature frequently revolves around themes of identity. He poses a thought-provoking question: “Can anything be more intolerable than being told you have no history and then having a foreign narrative imposed upon you?” Such sentiments fueled a literary revolt among Black authors.
This year’s Black History Month in the UK celebrates the reclamation of narratives, a practice that dates back to the early writings of ex-slaves in Britain, who sought to regain their dignity. Chinua Achebe’s groundbreaking novel “Things Fall Apart” is highlighted as a pivotal work that began the process of reclaiming a people’s soul, inspired as it was by colonial-era literature that portrayed Africans in a derogatory manner. Okri notes that 20th-century African literature emerged to counter the falsehoods perpetuated about the continent, initially serving as a literature of revolt and restitution.
In his latest work, “The Last Gift of the Master Artists,” Okri reflects on this journey. “In rewriting my novel, I aimed to reclaim the narrative of my people and illustrate their rich history before European contact,” he explains. “The truth often untaught in schools is that Africa had its own civilizations, written languages, art, mythology, and architecture.” He emphasizes how Europe historically dismissed Africa’s past, stripping Black people of their humanity, agency, and reality.
Salman Rushdie famously referred to this movement as “the empire writing back,” where Black writers, including Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, challenged the narratives of the colonial experience through their fiction and poetry. However, Okri emphasizes that this endeavor involves more than mere rebuttal. “The colonial endeavor sought to erase the very existence of entire peoples. Writing is a means of affirming their history and reality.”
He elaborates that the fundamental goal of writers documenting the colonial or Black experience is to reclaim their humanity, a thread that connects African literature across centuries. This ongoing quest can be seen in the works of contemporary authors like Andrea Levy, Linton Kwesi Johnson, and Bernardine Evaristo, who manifest this urge in exploring modern narratives.
In the realm of African American literature, a similar reclamation is occurring. Writers like Percival Everett are retelling classic stories from Black perspectives, as seen in his reimagining of “Huckleberry Finn.” Okri views this as an extension of the debate around identity and consciousness within a racially charged society.
The tradition of reclamation spans centuries, from the Old Testament’s retelling of Jewish history to Virgil’s “Aeneid,” which rebuffed the finality of defeat. Okri argues that literature always conveys a particular viewpoint, and the impact of imperial politics is inescapable. “This underscores the need for writers whose histories have been misrepresented to create new aesthetics that showcase the richness of diverse narratives.”
“We must not only write back but also create enduring literature,” Okri insists. He envisions a landscape where counter-classics coexist with established texts, prompting fresh interpretations and insights.
For too long, literature has primarily reflected the experiences of one demographic, but Okri reminds us that the human experience is expansive. Black writers are not solely responding to colonial legacies; many are forging paths of celebration, creativity, and new myth-making. He encourages an appreciation for the broad scope of Black literature—beyond historical narratives—to recognize the vast potential for imaginative storytelling.
This tradition of exploration and creativity, represented by figures like Wole Soyinka and Toni Morrison, has transcended the bounds of reclamation. “Black writers have already ventured into new worlds and stories, shaping the future of literature,” Okri concludes.
“The Last Gift of the Master Artists” by Ben Okri is published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.
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