Literature is an ancient medium that has been used since its birth to portray the thoughts and perceptions of one people to another. Particularly in Western European nations, the idea of the “other” has gripped the subconscious of its own literature in its desperate attempt to explain and understand the other nations and peoples that it portrays. This typically is intertwined with colonialism, as the Western European writer takes it upon themselves to fetishize and provide wild stereotypes of aboriginal peoples, or really anyone who is not European. This has manifested itself in several of Shakespeare’s plays, especially The Tempest; which portrays an imagined perception of indigenous peoples on a remote island in what is thought to be the Mediterranean. However, in Tayeb Salih’s novel Seasons of Migration to the North, he looks at these types of fetishization straight on, in an attempt to understand and rationalize them. Mustafa Sa’eed’s promiscuous encounters reveal the inner prejudices held within London society. Seasons of Migration to the North deconstructs colonial thought through a first-hand account of exoticism, contrasting with stories such as The Tempest, which look at non-European peoples with a deeply racist, fetishized point of view.
In Seasons of Migration to the North, Mustafa Sa’eed confesses to the nameless narrator his various affairs with white women, and the strangely sadistic pleasure he takes in these encounters. At one point, while relaying another one of his wild tales, he exclaims: “Lingeringly I passed the palm of my hand over her neck and kissed her in the fountainheads of her sensitivity. With every touch, with every kiss, I felt a muscle in her body relax; her face glowed and her eyes sparkled with a sudden brightness. She gazed long and hard at me as though seeing a symbol rather than reality” (page 39). Here, Sa’eed makes it clear that this woman does not see him individually, but rather as a sex symbol, stemming only from his race. Sa’eed allows her to feed on this “exotic” aspect, as it allows him to sleep with her. However, in doing so, he reveals the inner-prejudices this woman holds, and that London society at large holds as well. In The Tempest, the character of Caliban (the only native to the island within the story) is looked upon by the European colonizers as a literal creature, and is only considered useful in the labor he can provide. Like Mustafa Sa’eed, he is looked at as a “symbol rather than reality.” To the European characters, he symbolizes the “exotic” aspect of such far away lands; and is treated with certain regard to his perceived otherness.
In The Tempest, Caliban is treated akin to an actual savage creature, and suffers frequent verbal and occasionally violent abuses at the colonizers’ hand. Prospero’s daughter, Miranda, in an especially racist binge, remarks, “Abhorred slave/ Which any print of goodness wilt not take,/ Being capable of all ill!”(page 39). Here, Caliban is characterized by his slave status, which is reinforced by the racist language and imagery surrounding him. He is not fetishized per se, but simply treated with extreme indignity, as his colonizers frequently comment on his perceived inferiority. Throughout Seasons of Migration to the North, Mustafa Sa’eed frequently comments on this perceived superiority that the British colonizers enjoy. However, he flips this in his favor, playing on his own “exoticism” to seduce various white women into sleeping with him. The British mindset at the time this novel was written contained within it a truly wild amount of racism and general stereotypes, and Mustafa Sa’eed, being exceptionally keen, plays on this; puffing up his own experiences in order to grip the British ear, so that he may seduce it. In this way, the irony and absurdity of these racial stereotypes is revealed to the reader, and the Western audience in general.
British literature in general has had an odd affinity for portraying members of differing ethnic communities in an extremely offensive manner, whether this was intentional or not. The Tempest set a precedent of offense, while still offering a slight ambiguity in its portrayal of Caliban, the slave. However, in Sudan, Tayeb Salih was able to recognize and point out the severe absurdity in this, and show its interconnectedness with race and sex. Prejudices are revealed in broad daylight, and exoticism is shown to be ultimately fruitless; an imagined perception of another people, another culture and community. Race has been an especially important theme in British literature, for better or for worse. While ancient playwrights may have seen nothing wrong in their portrayal of certain peoples, today we are able to recognize exactly what is wrong with it, and articulate this. Mustafa Sa’eed remains a prime example of someone who understands these prejudices, and his actions subconsciously communicate this.