Today we covered the second chapter of book two. The title of this chapter is "They call me an 'African'" (Hill 119). The main discussion today was related to the theme of self identity. Throughout this chapter we see how Aminata battles with the new reality she has now encountered. For instance (Hill 121) we see Aminata express that she's forced to sleep next to Fanta whom she doesn't really like. We, as readers are shown the transition from how her life in Bayo was, compared to it now in the Toubabu land. In Bayo she would never have had to come across certain circumstances, such as sleeping next to Fanta. We also see how Aminata now has to forget the past entirely and adapt to this new land and atmosphere.
In addition to this Aminata and her people are stripped of every possible form of humanity. They have no clothes, they are fed and treated like animals, they are not allowed to use the 'washroom', evidently messing themselves, they are abused, beaten and shown no mercy (especially when someone dies), and finally they are not allowed to pray/ or worship. All of these things cause Aminata to question herself as she struggles to come to terms with the fact that she's now classified as an 'African'.
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