Representations of home and displacement in Kopano Matlwa’s Coconut and Noviolet Bulawayo’s We need new names

Abstract

This study discusses how the concepts of home and displacement are portrayed in the selected novels of two Southern African writers: We Need New Names (2013) by Zimbabwe born and USA based author, NoViolet Bulawayo, and Coconut (2007) by South African writer, Kopano Matlwa. The study argues that the themes of home and displacement are recurring in African literature because of the enduring trauma that colonialism visited on the continent. The analysis of both primary texts reflects that the process of migration, whether voluntary or forced, inevitably leaves the affected individuals and communities displaced as they not only struggle to fit into their newfound homes but also suffer from various malaise, such as alienation, identity loss and lack of belonging among others. To this end, the study also argues that displacement is not only physical, but also psychological because migration distorts the characters’ sense of home and leaves them perpetually struggling to recover both their senses of self and community. The study thus further contends that the process of migration is life-altering because it presents a turning point in the lives of the characters as they battle with numerous challenges in the new spaces that they find themselves in. The study draws on postcolonial theory to conceptualise its arguments.