The comic Aya: Life in Yop City does a fantastic job of illustrating a culture different from the more popular Western variety. For those reading this, have you ever considered Africa in any way that was not influenced by main stream media? No? Well me either. It is sad to say, but my view of Africa was just - more or less - a vast land of chaos and poverty. Why? Because is that not what the media would have us believe? As a western country ourselves - presuming, of course, that you are reading this from the US or some European country - we do not consider other nations to have much value in comparison to our own. Because we have created a Eurocentric view of what society should be, we have disallowed other countries to feel that their own culture is worth portraying in novels or media. For example, most people are lead to believe that Africa is riddled with disease, famine, and "uneducated" people who are in dire need of help. This just isn't true! There are places that are vastly populated with more modern conveniences, and then their are more rural areas, in which villages and old practices are still in effect. Africa is hardly different from any other country.
Aya, I believe, was written in retaliation toward the stereotypes that media has showcased to the rest of the world. Within the novel's preface is it mentioned that "Aya seem[s] so familiar, so nearly suburban in their post - adolescent focus on dance floor flirtations, awkward first dates, and finding the right dress for a friend's wedding… to many western readers, it may be difficult to believe they take place in Africa." Within the comic, many events that take place would be quite common in other parts of the world, which would imply that the comic was meant to not only portray new viewpoints, but to also bridge the gap of difference. In order to be a successful novel, arguably, you must have some sort of way to garner attention from outsiders. Even though the events take place in Cote d'lvoire (the French name for the "Coast of Ivory" by the way, which is mapped out in the above picture), the audience is able to empathize with the novel's characters.
For example, one literary device that the author's utilize quite heavily is pathos, which is the audience's ability to empathize with the characters. The image here displays the goings on of a pageant that the town puts on every year. The pageant is a fun way that the town celebrates their own culture, but also, it is an example of something that people in more western countries do as well. In addition, in another image, the characters are having fun with their friends at a local hang out spot. Within these two images, the gap between their culture and the readers is not so vast. The readers can empathize with the characters need to have fun and relax. In addition, this use of pathos is utilized when the characters go through hard times, such as family issues and pregnancy. These are also problems that a western reader could have experienced as well.
Perhaps in regard to the opposite, many aspects of Aya are meant to better portray the life style of the people of Africa, such as how they survive and also, what sort of dynamic is acceptable between men and women. For example, the women are expected to act a certain way, while it is accepted that the men may act how they please. In a more western society, this sort of behavior would not likely be accepted well. So a few of the characters actions would be somewhat difficult for readers to understand. However, the differences do not out way the similarities. Aya does a great job of bridging the gap between the different cultures toward the understanding of such differences.
Comments
Post a Comment