Precarious Journeys: Crossing The Colour Line(s) in M. G. Vassanji’s The In- Between World of Vikram Lall and Ronnie Govender’s Black Chin White Chin

Abstract

This article examines M. G. Vassanji’s The In-Between World of Vikram Lall (2003) and Ronnie Govender’s Black Chin White Chin (2006) through the cultural implications of miscegenation and argues how, as a literary trope, this represents a creative response to the question of the Indian ethnic presence in Africa. Related to this presence is the concept of Afrocentricity which defines how a gravitation—or a lack of such—towards a sense of Africanness defines East and South African Asian cultural identity. I will also incorporate rhizomatic theory as defined by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (1987) so as to frame the new identity models that miscegenation can give rise to. In The In-Between World of Vikram Lall, I explore the triangulated relationship between the white, Black and Indian communities, and flesh out the shifting ambiguities brought about by the ontological in-betweenness of the Indian community in East Africa. Regarding Black Chin White Chin, I examine how the text brings to light the specific context of apartheid and how this created a singular set of realities for the Indian community within South Africa. To substantiate my claims, I have incorporated brief references to the historical backstories that inform both novels. I also provide other literary references that help frame the debate. Sarah Ahmed’s (2007) conception of how the non-white body is coerced into orientating itself towards an image of whiteness is of particular value in my article; however, I argue that the set of theoretical considerations put into place by Ahmed need to be contextualised and reconsidered when examining the intimate relationships between the Indian and the Black/Coloured bodies depicted in the novels discussed.