Diaspora writers and social activism: a study of Isidore Okpewho’s <i>Call Me By My Rightful Name</i> and Ayi Kwei Armah’s <i>Osiris Rising</i>

Abstract

Literature provides a platform for people to record their thoughts and experiences in creative works and subsequently make these literary texts to be accessible to others and this further projects the works as tools for social criticism and reconstruction. Using their literary works, writers are able to point out the fundamental problems that plague society such as those that hinge and militate against the peace and progress of the society. By engaging in these literary expositions, the writer attempts to articulate and proffer a workable framework for the society in his endeavor to institute socio-political stability. Some African writers have written on the experiences and social dilemma faced by immigrants in their strive to improve their circumstances through human mobility. In this case, the experiences in question include corruption, racism, and exploitation among others. This paper explores the traumatic experiences of African migrants using Ayi Kwei Armah's Osiris Rising and Isidore Okpewho's Call Me By My Rightful Name. Psychoanalytic and Marxist Literary theories as frameworks for  critical analysis of the work. The paper concludes with the optimistic view that African writers are well positioned to initiate positive change.