Mukasonga makes no profound declarations about the impacts of conflict or sweeping statements about the loss of tradition or lifestyle. Rather, she shows us these phenomena through speaking to the subtle erosion of positions in carefully curated systems and how the properties of these systems begin to diminish as circumstance alters livelihoods.
COVID-19 has changed the world, that is clear to see. As many of us use this time to catch up on our favorite shows, we must not forget that this industry is one that has been greatly affected by the pandemic.
Through fiction, not only do we learn about external circumstances and power differentials that shape the paths of groups of people, we learn about an individual’s internal calculus and instantaneous decision-making in ways that they often cannot communicate to even their family members.
Ungodly Hour is an exciting, innovative, and daring album. Chloe and Halle meld generations of black music—house, R&B, soul—with their signature intergalactic stylings to create a record unlike any other.
Vargas Llosa and Alvarez’s usage of the fictional format emboldens them to catalog the mindset of an array of individuals during this period and record how living under an authoritarian regime fundamentally changes people’s psychological realities, decision-making processes, and relationships.
The dilution of one’s identity is the reality for most POC and LGBTQ+ individuals who are taught to blend into a world not created for them. Brave storytellers have the power to change this narrative by giving a voice to those whose voices have yet to be heard.
Through her work, Adichie seeks to dismantle the pervasive “single story” of Africa, arguing that “stories have been used to dispossess and malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize.” This urgency and desire to provide a more nuanced narrative and amplify the voices of the unheard is easily apparent in Adichie’s 2006 novel, Half of a Yellow Sun.
To be sure, it was captivating television, just not good. I was riveted by the storyline, but quickly felt uncomfortable as to why I, like so many others, was having fun.
