Dual Identity - Assimilation & Objectification
Identity, isolation, and objectification are the central themes and motifs in the works 'Soleil O', "Black Girl", and "Americanah". All three works emphasize the complexities of identity and the impact of cultural assimilation and alienation on individuals who move from their home country to live and work in a Western country. Colonialism has significantly shaped the creation of a dual identity among Africans, who were forced to reconcile their African heritage with European cultural norms and values. This dual identity has resulted in a sense of isolation and objectification, as African culture and traditions were undervalued and labeled primitive.
The topics of race, love, and identity are examined in the book Americanah. Ifemelu, a Nigerian lady who immigrates to the US for education, is the protagonist of the book. The novel examines the challenges faced by African immigrants in America as well as the nuanced issues surrounding race and identity in both Nigeria and the US. Due to Ifemelu's difficulties assimilating into American culture, the idea of "dual identity" plays a big role in the narrative.
“Dear Non-American Black, when you make the choice to come to America, you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I’m Jamaican or I’m Ghanaian. America doesn’t care. So, what if you weren’t “black” in your country? You’re in America now.”
Assimilating into American culture requires Africans to dismiss the behaviors, values, and customs of their cultural backgrounds. Ifemelu soon learns that she is defined by race in America, something she consciously didn’t think about when she lived in Nigeria. In Nigeria, she defined herself by her ethnicity, not by the color of her skin. When Ifemelu goes to work for a kind white woman, she discovers her discomfort surrounding race and refusal to use the word black. When referring to people of color the white woman replaces the word ‘black’ with ‘beautiful’. When Ifemelu figures out that the people she’s referring to aren’t particularly beautiful, but just black she confronts her and explains that it’s ok to say black.
“Relaxing your hair is like being in prison. You're caged in. Your hair rules you. You didn't go running with Curt today because you don't want to sweat out this straightness. You're always battling to make your hair do what it wasn't meant to do.”
Symbolism is also an important aspect of the novel, one example of this is the use of hair as a symbol of identity and self-expression. For Ifemelu hair symbolizes her connection to her African heritage. Throughout the novel, Ifemelu learns that straight hair is the Western beauty standard and a symbol of professionalism. In Nigeria, Ifemelu left her hair braided but when she comes to America, she decides to straighten her natural curls, “She left the salon almost mournfully; while the hairdresser had flat-ironed the ends, the smell of burning, of something organic dying which should not have died, had made her feel a sense of loss”. The destruction and damage Ifemelu experiences while straightening her hair represent the inherent racism in beauty culture and the pressure for black women to mirror the hairstyles of white women. The “killing of her curls” represents the loss of her Nigeran heritage, to uphold the values of American culture and beauty standards.
"Black Girl" is a groundbreaking film by Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene that centers around Diouana, a young Senegalese woman who leaves her home country to work as a domestic servant for a French family in Antibes, France. The film’s use of symbolism conveys the ways in which black women are often silenced and exploited in a white-dominated world. Diouana struggles to assert her own identity and find a sense of belonging in France, as she is stripped away of her roots and culture. At the begging of the film, Diouana gifts her French employers an African mask, which is then hung on one of the blank white walks of their apartment. The mask is a symbol of Diouana’s isolation, throughout the film she never speaks nor rarely leaves the walls of the French apartment. The audience is only able to understand the extent of Diouana’s isolation through her narrated voice, which is solely spoken in French. The mask that sits still and silent becomes an object of consumption and an “exotic” artifact for her white French employers. Similar to the mask, Diouana becomes subject to serving and entertaining her French employers. In one scene, Diouana is asked to cook and serve the French family and their guests. Throughout the scene, the guests treat her as a curiosity and one of the male guests asks if he can kiss her exclaiming “I’ve never kissed a black woman”. This scene emphasizes the ways in which Western people reduce the identity of colonized people to mere objects of curiosity.
Soleil O is set in France and follows the journey of an African man, who migrates from Africa in search of a better life in Paris. His hope to achieve success among his fellow Frenchmen is quickly dashed when he struggles to blend into French culture and find work because of prejudice and discrimination. The film portrays France as an unwelcoming environment for black people, employing a range of stereotypes that portray black people as savage and primitive or fetishized subjects with an “exotic” nature.
Throughout the film, there are several instances of white women being attracted to the protagonist and other black men. In one scene, the protagonist is approached by a white woman who tries to seduce him. She tells him that she has always wanted to sleep with a black man, and she is persistent in her advances despite his cautionary behavior. This scene is a powerful critique of the way in which white women, objectify black men as sexual objects. The film's portrayal of white women fetishizing black men showcases how this view can be used to justify discrimination and objectification.