THE DISCOURSE OF IMPOSED IDENTITY IN UZODINMA IWEALA'S SPEAK NO EVIL

Abstract

Identity is a complex and multifaceted concept that plays a significant role in African literature. African writers explore the intricate connection between individual and collective identity and the impact of race, culture, history, and colonisation on the African experience through their literary works. The crux of the discussion had before now dealt with the representation of identity in African literature by examining the power and importance of reclaiming and redefining identity in the African context and highlighting the need to reconcile with the past while forging a new identity rooted in African values and traditions. Identity in African literature has always been explored from a position of colonial othering rather than sexual orientation. This paper uses psychoanalytic theory as a critical framework to explore the inner psychological conflicts and trauma faced by the protagonist of Uzodinma Iweala's Speak No Evil. The novel presents the story of Niru, a Nigerian-American teenager whose struggle with his sexual identity is exacerbated by cultural, religious, and familial pressures. Through Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalytic lenses, the paper analyses the internal dissonance between Niru's desires and the identities imposed upon him by his environment. Drawing also on Frantz Fanon's postcolonial psychoanalysis, the paper underscores how the convergence of race, sexuality, and immigrant expectations leads to profound psychological fragmentation and unresolved trauma. The conclusion highlights the deadly consequences of identity imposition and the necessity of cultural and emotional spaces for authentic self-expression.