Writing Africa, Righting America: An Experience of Otherness in J. P. Clark’s America, Their America

Abstract

Abstract In this article, I examine one of the finest first-generation Nigerian writers, John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo, who passed away on 13 October 2020, and who has been categorised as a Eurocentric writer. By critiquing his America, Their America, this work investigates the authenticity of this perception of J. P. Clark as a Eurocentric Nigerian writer. By analysing his autobiography vis-à-vis the notion of the Self and the Other, a theoretical concern in contemporary travel writing, the researcher establishes that every culture has its positive and negative aspects. It must not feel too proud to change as time and situation demand. It is clear that Clark vehemently rejects the US claim of the sophistication and superiority of their culture over African culture. The paper concludes that contemporary travel writing should be a rightful site for negotiating cultural compromises between the Self and the Other, since the gap may be difficult to close altogether.