Americanah is a novel that addresses the concept of dueling identities. When Ifemelu, the main character, leaves Nigeria and starts a new life in America, she sheds pieces of her old life that she loves without fully understanding why. As time goes on, she yearns for things she has neglected, but so much has changed. It is impossible to restore the past.
The poem below, titled "Americanah 440" based on the page of the novel where the words were found, addresses the idea of understanding the person you are now, as if entering a new, empty room, rather than seeking lost things in old places.
The poem below, titled "Americanah 440" based on the page of the novel where the words were found, addresses the idea of understanding the person you are now, as if entering a new, empty room, rather than seeking lost things in old places.