Why African Stories Matter
By Olumide Labulo
The world over, literature has it's roots in the oral traditions (where rich African stories are passed down from generation to generation through the words of mouth) of different peoples existing since the days of yore from chants that evoke powerful spontaneous emotions to storytelling that thrives on fluidity, improvisations and imaginations that breathe life into words. Soon, these began to be written down and printed, often for the purpose of documentation, instruction and or entertainment.
Today, there is a shift in the kind of stories that are told because of Western influences. While some reflect the reality of today's goings-on in the socio-political sphere like "The New Man" by Femi Ademiluyi, some reflect the lifestyle of a group of people like "Fine Boys" by Eghosa Imasuen, some history like Isidore Okpewho's "The Last Duty", Elechi Amadi's "Sunset in Biafra", others focus on pure imaginations to propagate certain concepts like gay writings or fight a system like Ngugi wa Thiong'o's "Weep Not Child" and "Black Hermit".
Whichever way the pendulum swings, the beauty of African stories is in their authenticity and relatability, the very reason they are very vital to our cultural heritage, traditions and similar experiences even in the political sphere.They help to preserve these memories, values and way of life, regardless of Western influences, and pass them down from one generation to another.
African stories also matter in the promotion of cultural diversity across the continent, highlighting the unique experiences and perspectives of different communities thereby fostering cultural pride and self-awareness that encourage individuals to appreciate and celebrate their own heritage.
They also help shape historical narratives through documentations that provide unique perspectives and fresh insights into the historical events cum experiences of African people during times of colonization, slavery, and liberation like we see in Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" and Chimamanda's "Half of a Yellow Sun". Similarly, they can challenge dominant narratives by offering alternative narratives on historical events, promoting a more nuanced understanding of the past just like Achebe did in "There Was A Country".
We can't shrug off the fact that our local languages are going extinct on the account of our adopted language---English. Right now, there's a reawakening to that reality. With code-mixed writings of African stories, more awareness can be raised to promote our local languages. We can also use our stories to raise awareness about other social issues like oppression, poverty, inequality, etc. inspiring social change by stressing the struggles and triumphs of individuals like Buchi Emecheta's "Joys of Motherhood", and communities through a sense of hope and resilience.
Before now, gay or LGBTQ writings were alien to African literature. But these writings started finding their way to mainstream literature after the legalisation of such abnormality in many countries. Although they are still marginalised, they are actively using African stories to provide a platform for such voices by documenting their experiences and perspectives like Chinelo Okparanta's, "Under the Udala Trees".
Conclusively, we can say that African stories have become a powerful tool in fighting a system like we see in Achebe's "A Man of the People", influencing thoughts and opinions like Tomi Adeshina's "Beautiful Stranger" and or explaining a spiritual concept like Asari Konadu's "A Woman in her Prime" and Chigozie Obioma's "An Orchestra of Minorities".
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