The Image of Africa in Contemporary Serbian Literature

Abstract

While the image of Africa in Europe today is burdened with the legacy of colonialism, some countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, never had a colonial past, and so developed their own images of Africa through their varied interactions with the continent. This article explores the representation of Africa in contemporary Serbian literature, from the era of Socialist Yugoslavia to the present day, arguing that recent writing is adopting a Western, colonialist perspective that is far removed from the discourse of friendship that characterized the Communist era. An important shift is therefore taking place in the perception of Africa in contemporary Serbian culture and society, one which reveals more about the viewer than the object of their gaze.