Young African writers in the digital space

Abstract

In the digital space, contemporary young Africans are writing stories reflecting how they navigate their worlds in the 21st century. Some write with the desire to break from the past, and present themes of change, healing and hope, while others continue to write stories that connect contemporary issues to the past. Using Young Adult literature (YAL), digital literature and counter-storytelling as the basis for the study, this thesis will explore the unique voices, subjectivities and ways of writing found online. I analyse a short story by Ibrahim Babátúndé Ibrahim titled “When the Sun Is Up” from The Journal of African Youth Literature (JAY Lit). Framed by disability studies and affect theory, I show how Ibrahim’s unique writing contributes to an understanding of the complexities of disability. As a counter-story, it portrays a character with albinism and shows the effects of psycho-emotional disablism while critiquing and challenging the non-disabled imaginary. I then analyse the short story “Inter-Tribal Union” from the anthology The Song of Us by Mercy Kalu from Wattpad. I read it as a counter-story in its representation of an interfaith relationship and sacrificial love. While fundza.mobi can be regarded as a counter-storytelling platform, not all of my chosen stories for analysis necessarily reflect this characteristic. Firstly, I argue that while “The Hard Life” by Philane Ndabe and “Reneilwe” by Mogale Kgashane inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes about young women in the city, Zukiswa Phakama’s “I Will Find My Way” offers a counter-narrative of hope and empowerment that subverts common tropes. Secondly, I conduct a close reading of “In Search of Greener Pastures” by Oyama Comba and argue that she subverts the fairy-tale romance trope to highlight the pervasiveness of violence in South African society. Lastly, I show how “Unlocked” interrogates internalised misogyny and benevolent sexism in romantic relationships through Akhona Mlenga’s writing style and characterisation. In addition to analysing writing online, I explore the relationship between text, reader and writer by analysing the comments under each story. Wattpad and fundza.mobi demonstrate how online reader interactions become a part of the text and augment the reading and understanding of the text.