Xala...a new Africa?

Well although this is a late post I almost feel its better that I waited. After reaching my own conclusions about the book as well as exploring the characters during our class discussion, I am finally realizing that Xala isn't really representing the "new Africa" that I had envisioned. I realize now that what I had previously thought was impossible...how could Africa ever go back to the way it was pre-colonialism? These people have been forever changed, their culture, traditions and religion have all been stolen and replaced with some kind of indignant amalgamation of European ideals and forced abandonment of a previous way of life. Africa has been marred with the corruption and greed of Europeans and this is displayed throughout Xala, as the characters all experience the internal and external conflictions of tradition and a changing society.

One huge example of this is through Rama, she personifies the new generation of young adults who have grown up during the process of African independence. Although she holds to her heritage and people, she has a surprisingly modern take on day to day life, she has sex before marriage, she has a "boyfriend" (which in itself is a very modern idea), and rebels against any authority that she interprets as oppressive to her culture. So even though she values the past, she applies her own philosophy and logic (over tradition) to the present.

Rama's father, we'll just call him Hadji, also provides a modernized view of Africa in the sense that he becomes a part of the thing that robbed him of his old way of life. He has been transformed into a sort of figurehead for the joining of African and European business, although judging by the resentment of many of the characters its clear that this is by no means a reconciliation but rather a greed driven partnership. Hadji seems kind of like a sell out even though he still values tradition (polygamy, wedding rituals), while Rama seems to be the opposite. Its clear that Hadji practices these traditions out of some kind of moral obligation, but doesn't really view them as sacred or important which pretty much discredits entire point of partaking in them.

Xala was very entertaining, and even though it wasn't quite what I expected I learned a lot. I'm beginning to see and understand why Africa is the way it is today through reading about these characters as they try to delineate between old and new ways while forming their own beliefs somewhere along the way.