African Literatures and Border Issues

In his article "African Literatures and Border Issues" Chimdi Maduagwu posits that borders or boundaries are constructions which have social and symbolic implications and that they are also relevant in a variety of social processes versus class stratification. Modern Africa is a political construction from European colonialism and what we have today as countries of Africa were closely knit nation states (which colonialists identified as tribes) who had their distinct features. However, the advent of colonialism tore into the original nation state structure based on given ethnic relationships and in its place constructed sovereign states or countries, which only considered proximity or geographical relationships. Moduagwu examines the possibility of reconciling the severance in relationships and argues that it is possible to achieve either reunification or reintegration of the fragments of Africa by consolidating matters which unite and overcoming divisions.