Storytelling For A Non-Foreclosed World: A Conversation With Manthia Diawara

Abstract

Ulrich Baer and Manthia Diawara delve into an exploration of art, culture, and identity, throughout Diawara's body of work. They discuss the profound influence of Édouard Glissant on Diawara's work and thought.  The conversation opens with an exploration of the possibility of a non-foreclosed world that would embrace Glissant’s poécepts of créolisation and identité-relation, emphasizing the importance of fluid and complex identities.  The subsequent segment is focused on the possibility of a shared worldly sensibility paired with local action, and the implications of political engagement in art practices. In the last part, the historical, cultural and political importance of African American narratives is discussed, along with the characterization of storytelling as a form of rationality.  Throughout the conversation, Baer and Diawara demonstrate their shared belief in the transformative potential of art and scholarship, and in the importance of engaging in meaningful discussions on cultural identity, representation, and liberation.