Unveiling the Unspoken: Colonial Violence and Identity in Abdulrazak Gurnah’s ‘Afterlives

Abstract

Abdulrazak Gurnah’s Afterlives (2020) examines the persistent repercussions of colonial violence and its influence on personal and communal identities in East Africa. The novel examines the suppressed narratives of oppression, relocation, and cultural erasure experienced by colonised individuals within the context of German colonialism in Tanganyika. Gurnah reveals the psychological and social cracks resulting from imperial dominance via the interconnected lives of people like Khalifa, Ilyas, and Afiya, illustrating how colonial cruelty alters personal and community narratives. This paper analyses the mechanisms of both physical and epistemic violence inherent in colonial systems and their enduring impact on postcolonial identity formation. The research employs a postcolonial perspective to highlight Gurnah's portrayal of resistance, remembrance, and survival in the context of systemic dehumanisation. Moreover, it examines how the novel contests prevailing historical narratives by prioritising marginalised perspectives and recuperating overlooked histories. Ultimately, Afterlives functions as an indictment of the lasting pain of colonialism while providing a moving reflection on resilience and the potential for restoration. The paper contends that Gurnah’s work not only reveals the unacknowledged crimes of empire but also reaffirms the agency of the colonised in articulating their narratives.