The Predicament of the Diaspora

The research sets out to fill the gap in the study of African and Ethiopian Diaspora or migrant literature through a thematic analysis of Fasil's 'The Texture of Dreams' (2005) and Dinaw's 'The Beautiful Things that HeavenBears' (2007). The meaning and thematic preoccupations of migrant /Diaspora literature are also described in the background. The second chapter reviews studies on Ethiopian English novels and relevant theoretical issues relating to the Diaspora and its predicament. The third chapter presents a thorough thematic analysis of the major themes in the two novels under the sections woes of the homeland, woes in the host-land, sub-themes and divergent themes. These include economic and political woes of the homeland, disillusionment, frustration, emptiness, homesickness, racism and discrimination, nostalgia, loss, acculturation and lust for love. The study shows the similarity, despite differences of approach, of the two novels in revealing the overarching themes of displacement and emptiness in the lives of the African and Ethiopian Diaspora sharing same concerns with other Diaspora writers.