“A man can find a home anywhere”: african mobility and the fall of dreams in Behold the Dreamers

Inspired by the notion of mobility explored by Zachary Guthrie’s book Bound for Work: Labor, Mobility, and Colonial Rule in Central Mozambique, 1940-1965, this study aims to analyze the journey of the Cameroonian characters in Imbolo Mbue’s novel Behold the Dreamers by showing how travelling outside of Africa can become a means of representing and understanding what is considered foreign and Other. In addition, assist on the understanding of self-perception and self-definition (Moffat), but also how said understanding does not exclude a complex net of illusions, disappointments and failures. As Behold the Dreamers shows, the voluntarily moving outside of Africa in search of a better life is not simple for it is burdened with political, racial, social class, and employment issues, as well as misconceptions of the West.Inspired by the notion of mobility explored by Zachary Guthrie’s book Bound for Work: Labor, Mobility, and Colonial Rule in Central Mozambique, 1940-1965, this study aims to analyze the journey of the Cameroonian characters in Imbolo Mbue’s novel Behold the Dreamers by showing how travelling outside of Africa can become a means of representing and understanding what is considered foreign and Other. In addition, assist on the understanding of self-perception and self-definition (Moffat), but also how said understanding does not exclude a complex net of illusions, disappointments and failures. As Behold the Dreamers shows, the voluntarily moving outside of Africa in search of a better life is not simple for it is burdened with political, racial, social class, and employment issues, as well as misconceptions of the West