The Black and White Museum: analyse af Ferdinand Dennis' novelle

At some point in our life, we’ve all been asked the question: “Where are you from?”. The expected answer is something along the lines of our birthplace, the city and country in which we were born and where we grew up. This will generally equal our nationality and, thereby, identity. But for some folks, it isn’t that simple. Far from it. Multiculturalism is quite an eminent part of present-day Britain and with this immigration growth spurt also comes heightened focus upon the British slave history. Author and Jamaican immigrant Ferdinand Dennis sheds light on this in his ironic short story The Black and White Museum, written in 2003, that deals with proprietor Papa Legba and his business struggles. In this essay, I plan to analyze and interpret the short story, whilst accounting for the combination of realistic and fantastic elements and the use of irony.

Originally named The Emporium, what started as a small African retail outlet soon becomes a thriving attraction, alluring customers from around the country; the determining factor seemingly being the main character’s shift of business strategy. The shop is reborn as The Black and White Museum, hence the story’s title. On the outside, it appears to be nothing more than an old bookshop, but the backroom offers an abundance of African artifacts, herbs and much more. As the story progresses and his shop grows, Papa Legba becomes more ambitious and launches what he describes as The Middle Passage Week-end. An event in the basement of the building where people can experience the conditions of the African slaves that were sold and traded across the Atlantic firsthand. You would think that this wouldn’t exactly sound appealing to many, but this event actually attracts even more people and Papa Legba becomes extremely well known.