African Kinship Across the Atlantic: A Study of Ben Igwe’s <i>Against the Odds</i>

Abstract

The forceful transplantation of Africans through the Middle Passage to the Americas; the injustices and the inhumanity they experienced in slavery; the separation from their traditions, culture, kith and kin, language and values was only a physical separation, which hardly affected their Africanness. There is an umbilical cord that binds Africans in the homeland and those in the Diaspora. This is exhibited in the attitude of the Africans in the Diaspora always asking pertinent questions about their Motherland, and taking concrete steps to invest their talent and capital therein. Using Ben Igwe’s Against the odds, this paper calls on black people on all sides of the Atlantic to once again give attention to the cultivation of African kinship in the Black Atlantic and by so doing give vigour to the old saying that blood is thicker than water. In spite of the differences in geographical location and language, Africans are Africans wherever they are found and they must jointly be committed to solving problems that confront the Black race. This is the surest way of making meaningful progress in the 21^st century, which is still dominated by the descendants of the slave masters.

Key words: Africa, Kinship, Across the Atlantic