Diasporic Echoes: Post Colonial Perspectives on Identity and Voice in NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names

Abstract

This article aims to examine the post colonial perspectives on Identity and voice depicted in NoViolet Bulawayo’s debut novel, "We Need New Names." The study highlights avant-garde elements under post-colonial strains. As a post-colonial author of the African-American diaspora, Bulawayo underscores the myriad hardships faced in African regions. This qualitative study, grounded in post-colonial theory, specifically employs Homi Bhabha’s concept of “hybridity” to explore the traumas associated with the displacement of identity, culture, and language. The research demonstrates how post-colonial literature, often through the use of pastiche, challenges and contrasts colonial and post-colonial cultures by resisting categorization, subjection, oppression, suppression, exploitation, and tyranny. The findings of this study conclude that the trauma of displacement and the dislocation of identity, culture, and language experienced by individuals in the African diaspora. This study further discusses how Bulawayo challenges traditional colonial accounts and highlights the ongoing struggles against subjection, oppression, and exploitation, underscoring the enduring impact of colonial legacies and the resilience of displaced communities in forging new identities amidst cultural fragmentation.