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Book review…Dialogues on race, identity and gender
Book: My Multi-Ethnic Friends and Other Stories
Author: Cyril Dabydeen
Reviewer: Dr Glenville Ashby
‘My Multi-Ethnic Friends’ delivers a veiled indictment on a society beleaguered by
The book cover of My Multi-Ethnic Friends
division and self-righteousness. But are there brighter days ahead? In this narrative, Canada has become the melting pot, meeting ground and panacea for Diasporic communities, many nursing wounded psyches. But is it?
In ‘Passersby,’ there are shouts of “Send them all back,” and “Where do they come from anyway.” Quite telling.
In this well-crafted offering, Cyril Dabydeen is at the forefront of ‘conscious thought.’ But he did not force his way to the podium with tough, didactic rhetoric. Instead, he is self-effacing, subtle, inclined to self-doubt. But is he really hamstrung? Not in the least. He’s as astute as they come. His measured statements and furrowed probing should not be taken at face value.
That he has a grasp of history, international affairs and revolutionary politics is unquestionable. Dabydeen’s meaningful dialogues with his kaleidoscope of friends give him that advantage. Yet, he remains unassuming, reserved, not showing his hand; preferring to funnel his thoughts in coded, slow doses. And it works.
Dabydeen is a well-oiled griot. ‘Multi-ethnic friends’ is crisp, colourful and piercing. Its characters are robust and sharply defined. In the highly interpretive, ‘A Time of Wilderness,’ Dabydeen draws from the spirit of folk culture. The scene is a cocoa plantation and the one cultural oddity – a white Canadian, may have an amorous interest with a local woman who is physically worn by time, but remains mysteriously fascinating, not unlike, a colourful, elusive snake that has mystified villagers.
The twisted irony of African politics comes to life in ‘The Last Days,’ Dabydeen’s most compelling tale. It is riveting as it offers snapshots of Africa’s ghoulish dictators jockeying with a new promising vanguard determined to lift a continent from ruin. Dabydeen ruminates throughout his delicate exchange with Ballu, his African friend.
Scenes switch from Ballu’s village to a bar in Canada, where he and Dabydeen banter.
Ballu is indiscernible, a riddle, of sorts. His amorphous body syncs with a troubled mind that he carefully protects. His defence mechanisms are ironclad. Is this a reflection of his ‘dark’ undiscovered home?
Paternalism at its worst echoes through ‘Nighthawk,’ as Myrna, a rebellious feminist rails against a predatory culture. She is edgy, unforgiving and may just become what she fights against.
In the eponymous, ‘My Multi-Ethnic Friends,’ the discourse switches to black integration and recognition, and the most effective way of attaining that ideal. Taj Singh, a Sikh, unmoved by orthodox methods, states, “Sikhs are supposed to be fighters. We have a reputation to uphold.”
And in ‘Bearing Gifts,’ readers get a fair share of Greek philosophy and Socialist Thought, as Stavros, a Greek student, debates idealism with his African peers.
‘Believers,’ a fast-paced chronicle, showcases our tribal reflexes that somehow evade our radar. It is a sobering account about the role of religion in shaping our skewed vision. Here, Mahmoud talks of tolerance, but clearly upholds a religious agenda while fearing a community backlash if seen among gays. And in ‘De-Complexioned,’ Ivor’s extreme romanticism with Guadeloupe’s exotic culture rightly elicits the following: “Stop making a fool of yourself, man.”
Admittedly, other anecdotes, such as, ‘Feud,’ and ‘The Russians are Coming,’ do not reflect the very best of Dabydeen, but their overriding themes of nationality and identity cannot be ignored.
‘Multi-Ethnic Friends’ is sharply pedagogical. It identifies our struggles to create a world untainted by prejudice. No one – Jew or gentile; black or white; male or female, is immune from this disease. But we can eradicate this poison only if we slay our own archetypal demons.
Unfortunately, creolization cannot solve our deep-rooted problems. Dabydeen may have proven that genuine accommodation is too formidable, not only for his friends, but quite frankly, for all of us.
Feedback: glenvilleashby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby
My Multi-Ethnic Friends and Other Stories by Cyril Dabydeen
Publisher: Guernica Editions Inc.
ISBN 978-1-55071-705-1
Available: amazon.com
Ratings: Essential
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