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Introduction
Photographers, art historians, and authors have dominated the literature world by writing exemplary works. Teju Cole is one of the most famous African artists who have mastered the art of writing and have expressed their thoughts through literary works. Born of Nigerian immigrants in Michigan, Teju Cole has written works that have gained global attention. Cole is one of the few artists who started their education as a medical student but gave up along the way to pursue their interest in art history. The author is worth discussing since he has African origin, his writings communicate diverse life aspects, and he has photography mastery. Cole’s works are compelling due to his staunch Africanism and his African American origin. Although Teju Cole has not written many books, his four books are read globally due to their universal message that is communicated to the general public. Teju Cole is an artist whose works have gained intranational attention due to their compelling and attractive language that communicates his African history and the contemporary issues facing society.
Why Teju Cole
Teju Cole is worth studying since his border-crossing curatorial works represent global literature, culture, and diasporic preoccupations. I chose Teju Cole because of his African American origin, writings that span all life aspects, and his work beyond writing. Firstly, Teju Cole was born in America to Nigerian parents and moved with his mother to Nigeria until he completed high school (Ba and Soto, p.8). His African American history manifests his intersectionality and diversity that, allows him to create works with diverse messages shaped by his American and African experiences. Secondly, his works span many life aspects like love, American immigrants’ struggles, Nigerian culture, the Western culture, among other global life aspects. While some of his writings are set in Nigerian culture, he has written a book on love that is set in New York City (Losambe, p.369). Thirdly, unlike many writers, Teju Cole’s works include photography, social media posts, and other art forms including sounds. Therefore, Teju Cole’s Nigerian origin has shaped his world art of writing, social media, sound, and photography, communicating many aspects of life.
Teju Cole’s Biography
Teju Cole, the nom de plume of Yemi Onafuwa, is a Nigerian American author who has spent his life in Nigeria and U.S. He was born in 1975 to Nigerian immigrants in Kalamazoo, Michigan (Lauret). Cole was the oldest of four children in his family and returned with his mother to Nigeria shortly after his birth. He was sent to his father’s alma mater, Western Michigan University, upon his high school completion in Nigeria (Lauret, p.3). However, he transferred to Kalamazoo College, where he obtained a degree in studio art and art history. Cole joined Michigan university to study medicine but terminated the course to pursue his interest in art. After that, his stay in the U.S encompassed a series of relocations. He was enrolled in the University of London, where he earned a master’s degree in art history (Lauret, p.7). Furthermore, he completed another master’s degree in 16th-century Northern European visual culture from Columbia University (Lauret, p.18-19). Cole’s stay in Nigeria, the U.S., and England shaped his work of writing, language, and photography.
Teju Cole’s Works
Teju Cole’s works span writings, photography, sound, and social media posts that are compelling and worth reading. His first book, “Every Day Is for the Thief” was published in 2007 by a small Nigerian company, Cassava Republic Press (Tinson, p.389). The book is a fictional travelogue that features a Nigerian man who returns to Nigeria after living in the U.S. The book’s characters represent the Nigerian culture in the diaspora and the influence of Western culture on Nigerian culture. His second book, “Open City” was published in 2012 by Random House, and features a man named Julius who just broke up with his girlfriend and took to walking the streets of New York City (Ba and Soto). The novel earned him awards like the Hemingway Foundation Award, the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award (Tinson, p.390). In 2016, he published an anthology of stories, “Known and Strange Thing”, that contains more than 50 essays featured in leading Newspapers and magazines. Furthermore, Cole’s 2017 “Blind Spot” contains photographs taken by him and displayed in a solo exhibition in Milan, Italy. Their various works in literature, history, politics, and art have earned Teju Cole prestigious awards making him an influential artist.
Why Teju Cole’s Works are Compelling
Compelling artistic works rely on storytelling elements that make the plot interesting and worth reading. Teju Cole’s work is compelling since they capture his Nigerian culture, Western culture, and his diasporic experiences in the U.S. and England. Furthermore, the artist’s educational background has shaped his work quality that juxtaposes writing elements and his storylines. Having lived in Nigeria and was born to Nigerian immigrants in the U.S., Cole uses satire and other literary elements to communicate and critique contemporary politics (Tinson). His book “Every Day Is for the Thief” communicates modernity and political struggles among the diasporic Nigerians who return to their home (Tinson, p.401). Furthermore, the artist’s intersectionality is significant to his writings and photographic works that compel various audiences. Although he was born Nigerian, his life experiences in U.S. and England shaped his works. Therefore, Teju Cole’s works are compelling since they capture his Africanism and diversity shaped by his personal life experiences in the U.S., England, and Nigeria.
Teju Cole’s Works in Connection with his Life
Teju Cole has spent his life in three different countries where he was subjected to African and Western cultures. His life experiences in Nigeria shaped his debut book “Every Day Is for the Thief” which communicates about diasporic life and life in Nigeria. Teju Cole’s family lived in the U.S. and transferred to Nigeria, making him write something he is associated with. Having spent most of his life in the U.S., he succinctly writes about the city experiences in New York in his book “Open City”. The book further communicates a love story that is relatable to Teju Cole when living in the U.S. As an African American in the diaspora, Teju Cole writes about the struggles of Africans in the diaspora (Chigudu). Cole’s life in Nigeria, the U.S., and England encompassed Western and African cultural experiences and struggles faced by Africans in the diaspora. Therefore, Teju Cole’s works connect well with his personal life experiences in the diaspora.
Conclusion
Teju Cole, the nom de plume of Yemi Onafuwa, was born in Michigan to Nigerian immigrants. The artist went to high school in Nigeria before returning to the U.S., where he attended his father’s alma mater. The author was enrolled in a medical school but gave up on pursuing his artistic interest. The artist’s works span beyond writing and include social media posts and photography. His novels communicate his culturally diverse experiences in Nigeria, the U.S., and England. Given his mastery in writing and art, he has won prestigious global awards like the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Teju Cole is one of the most compelling African American artists whose works have gained global attention.
Works Cited
Ba, Souleymane, and Isabel Soto. “The Problematics of Openness: Cosmopolitanism and Race in Teju Cole’s Open City.” Atlantic Studies, 2021, pp. 1–18.
Chigudu, Simukai. “Black Paper by Teju Cole Review – a Spark of Hope in Dark Times.” The Guardian, 2021.
Lauret, Maria. “Teju Cole: Public Intellectual.” Atlantic Studies, 2021, pp. 1–21.
Losambe, Lokangaka. “Post‐Hybrid Conjunctive Consciousness in the Literature of the New African Diaspora.” A Companion to African Literatures, 2021, pp. 365–80.
Tinson, Christopher M. “Every Day Is a Possibility: Modernity, Struggle, and the Politics of Solidarity in the Writing of Teju Cole.” Atlantic Studies, vol. 18, no. 3, 2021, pp. 387–407.
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