Corruption in Two Worlds

                In Adichie’s Americanah, one follows the journey of a young Nigerian woman named Ifemelu as she migrates from her homeland to the United States. However, unlike most immigrant stories, Americanah does not paint either country in a positive light. In fact, one observes throughout the novel that Ifemelu is dissatisfied with her life in either country because of differing types of corruption that plague each culture.

                In Nigeria, one finds that the corruption is far more physical and wide-spread in terms of the injustices dealt to the people. For example, early in the novel Ifemelu takes part in church activities because of her mother’s newfound Christianity. One of these activities involves making decorations to thank Chief Omenke, a military man who uses dirty money to donate two vans for the church. Fed up with celebrating criminality, Ifemelu refuses by asking the group’s leading sister, “Why should I make decorations for a thief?” (Adichie 62). In response to this protestation, Sister Ibinabo bluntly responds, “This church is full of 419 men. Why should we pretend that this hall was not built with dirty money?” (Adichie 62). This interaction encapsulates the Nigerian attitude regarding the acceptance and normality of corruption. Adichie only expounds on this with the relationship between Aunty Uju and “The General.” It is apparent that The General is only able to live a lavish immoral lifestyle with Uju as his mistress thanks to the misdeeds and flaws of Nigeria’s government. Despite that, Uju willingly dives into this wrongful luxury, and Ifemelu’s mother has no quarries with it, instead accepting TVs and other gifts from Uju (Adichie 90). Seeing the faults of her country’s social system firsthand and through the imploding life of her role model, Ifemelu loses faith in Nigeria. In fact, the persisting conflict between education and government is ultimately the catalyst that brings Ifemelu to America.

                Coming to America, the wrongdoings Ifemelu experiences are not as overt or as physical as Nigeria’s, but rather engrained in the racial biases of the people. For example, one day while working as Kimberly’s babysitter, she describes a tense interaction between herself and a white lawn maintenance man. As Ifemelu looks out of the doorway of Kimberly’s house, the lawn maintenance man “stiffened when he saw her. First surprise flitted over his features, then it ossified to hostility,” (Adichie 204). However, upon realizing that she was not the property owner he mollifies his expression and approaches her with warmth. In Nigeria, Ifemelu is accustomed to money and class playing as indicators of one’s social class, but as she writes in her blog post concerning the interaction, “Sometimes in America, Race Is Class,” (Adichie 205). In America it is evident that money, history, and intelligence are superseded by her racial and physical appearance, a statement that is exemplified through her quarrels with hair. After painfully straightening her hair for a job interview, Ifemelu explains to Curt that, “My full and cool hair would work if I were interviewing to be a backup singer in a jazz band, but I need to look professional for this interview, and professional means straight is best but if it’s going to be curly then it has to be the white kind of curly, loose curls or, at worst, spiral curls but never kinky,” (Adichie 253). Like the lawn maintenance man’s comfort with a black-looking woman being of a lower-class occupation, this excerpt reveals how black women must adopt a white look to make employers comfortable hiring them for more esteemed positions. These micro-aggressions cut away all parts of Ifemelu’s true personality as she is unused to being judged by the conformity of her appearance.

                Both cultures have their faults concerning the equality and justice of the individual. However, while Nigeria’s issues were external in the form of government and illegal funds, America’s internal issues were just as prevalent in the form of racial stereotypes and unspoken expectations. Each digs away at different aspects of Ifemelu’s being until all she has to drive her in either country are her relationships with family and loved ones.