I’ve decided to dedicate a post to West African Literature. This is in preparation for the 2nd Annual Ghana Day Parade in NYC August 21st. It is also a result of people in the U.S. and Ghana who are slow at uploading their photos which has made me long for Ghana.
Since I am a voracious reader and we did not have internet in our dorms (mostly because of the latter then the former), I read some books for fun. Unfortunately I did not take the African Literature course at Ashesi or NYU for scheduling reasons, so I obviously did not get the full force of the literature. But I think I have a fair sample. *note: this is all fiction, I read a good bit about philosophy but chose not to include those titles*
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. This is a classic. I first read it in 9th grade and was indifferent to it. Reading it while in West Africa made some of the cultural nuances make more sense. I was able to appreciate the novel more.
Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus. This book was reminiscent of Things Fall Apart, and why I wrote my philosophy research paper comparing the views on religion in the post-colonial world. She is a great writer and really conveyed a sense of the current post-colonial world. It was like an update of Achebe. I’ve also heard her book Half of a Yellow Sun is good.
Amma Darko’s Not Without Flowers and Faceless. These were the first two novels I read and I thought they were fantastic. While Faceless is more of a mystery story, Fofo’s search to find out who killed her sister, Not Without Flowers is a more intricate look into the family, life, and culture of Ghana. Both books have intertwining stories, with endings that took me completely by surprise.
I would suggest reading any of these books. But then again, I rarely find a book I wouldn’t recommend.
Also, I would like to note, that while abroad I watched the Ghana Music Awards, which for $40 I could have attended. All the performers who were from Ghana, born and raised, were dressed sophisticatedly in suits and ties. The performers from Ghana who were heavily influenced by American and British style were dressed unimpressively with baggy pants, large shirts, and lots of bling. In all honesty, I preferred the performers dressed in suits – they looked so much better than the bums.
Currently: Book – Can You Keep A Secret? I’m re-reading my first book of Sophie Kinsella’s. It’s not bad for some very light reading. T.V. – Drop Dead Diva a light show which sometimes has deeper meaning, but is overall light and funny. Movie – The Invention of Lying wasn’t bad but it didn’t capture my attention. I was really trying to watch another Ricky Gervais movie Ghost Town and ended up with this.
Carol “getting ready for the move back to Baltimore” Monteiro