Mnthali's "Stranglehold of English Lit."

“The Stranglehold of English Lit.” By Felix Mnthali

In the poem “The Stranglehold of English Lit.”, Mnthali exposes the corruptive nature of American Literature as well as the suppression of native tradition and voice of Africans. Mnthali’s view, like Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, revolves around the idea that English as the main educational language spread world-wide hinders or rather “strangleholds” the breath of African culture from expressing what is their reality.  As a white American female I seemingly have no connection to the poetic words of Mnthali but surprisingly I am able to relate. Mnthali’s literature inundates me with sympathy for the African people not having the freedom to write their stories in their native tongue but that English has overstepped the boundaries. I am a believer in freedom of speech and expression and one of my main goals in the near future is to travel to Africa in order to educate the African children through the Peace Corps and to spread the opportunities and importance of education, however, my goal is not to convert any one person or group to become a robotic version of an English writer or citizen.

I personally believe that being human is defined by having a unique identity which stems from culture, tradition, background and lifestyle of antiquity. I believe that all humans should have the right to equally express themselves and to form individual opinions within their own minds and to not be enslaved to preconceived notions of right and wrong stated by others. I agree with Mnthali when he states that English literature has gone too far and has begun to “maul the flower of [African’s] youth” meaning that instead of helping, the English literature of the time was encroaching on the African people therefore changing the definition of human. I however hope that Mnthali does not assume that all English speakers and writers are of this same breed that “mock[s] the victims of the branding irons and sugar-plantations” because if it were not for American writers and education I would have never known the harsh history of black Africans. Writers like Mark Twain, an American white skinned man, wrote novels such as a “Huckleberry Finn” in order to show the struggle and the reality of the times of black men and women through characters like Jim.

This poem was a window into the passionate heart of a black man who saw the truth and who knew the threat that English Literature had on African culture. Because the author was so hurt and so moved by his belief I was able to enjoy reading and interpreting Mnthali’s work. Overall, I was very touched by Mnthali’s poem because his words were honest and he did not guild his meaning in sugar or gold. His words seemed to spill like blood from his open wounds and for that reason, among others, I was very glad I read this poem and I will hopefully read more from Felix Mnthali in the future.

Kelsey Betz