El Club de Lectura de Casa África lee "Americanah"

At the end of this new gathering, members of Casa África's Reading Club may attend, along with the other interested persons, a series of activities held that day at Casa Africa as part of the Africa Vive programme, with which the institution celebrates Africa Day (25th  May) every year. These activities include a conference from the cycle # Áfricaesnoticia on the Democratic Republic of Congo; the presentation of the "Africa and Spain, increasingly closer" Map and a session of African music by DJ Ridoo.

Americanah, which brings together the derisive term with which Nigerians refer to those who return to the United States putting on airs and graces, is a love story spanning over three decades and three continents, the story of how an identity is created outside the dictates of society and its prejudices.

The plot unfolds in Lagos in the mid-nineties. Within a framework of a military dictatorship and a Nigeria that offers little or no future, Ifemelu and Obinze, two atypical teenagers, fall passionately in love. Like much of their generation, they know that sooner or later they will have to leave the country.

Obinze has always dreamed of living in the United States, but it is Ifemelu who gets a visa to live with his aunt in Brooklyn and study at the University. While Obinze struggles against bureaucracy to meet up with Ifemelu, she finds herself in an America where nothing is as she imagined, starting with the importance of the colour of their skin. All her experiences, mishaps and adventures lead to a single question: Will she end up becoming a "americanah"?

There are currently vacancies for those interested in participating in the Casa África's Reading Club. Those who wish, should send an email to cultura@casafrica.es and once confirmed as members of the Reading Club, they may withdraw the copy of the work to be read this time along with guidelines for reading.

Guidelines for reading Americanah