Global Voices: Imbolo Mbue On “Behold the Dreamers”

Emma Kapp
Staff Writer

The Global Voices on the University of Dayton Campus Symposium culminated Wednesday night when author Imbolo Mbue addressed a packed Kennedy Union Ballroom.

She began her speech by explaining the inspiration for her book, “Behold the Dreamers.” The book is the story of Jende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant who works as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers, according to Mbue’s website. The 2008 collapse of the financial institution changes life dramatically for both men and their families.    

According to Mbue, she had lost her job and was taking a walk when she noticed something.

“I saw chauffeurs parked outside one of the buildings where high-ranking businessmen live,” Mbue said. “I had seen chauffeurs in Cameroon, my home country, but I did not expect that in America. I was curious about the relationship between the people in these two very different worlds.”
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Mbue admits that her book does not paint America in the greatest light for immigrants. She says, though, that this perspective is based on her own experiences and struggles.

It took Mbue five years to write and develop the story, but it was a worthwhile effort. Her novel is an Oprah’s Book Club pick and winner of the 2017 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

Growing up in Cameroon, Mbue lived in a home with no running water or electricity, but she has trouble trying to get people to understand she did not live in poverty.

“There are different ways of living a full life,” Mbue said. “I was always satisfied as a child.”

Mbue moved to the United States to attend Rutgers University. She enjoyed the initial freedom of living in the United States, but it was hard for her to think the Cameroonian way of life was not better. She fought homesickness and often thought about returning to her home country.

It wasn’t until she opened herself to listening to other people’s stories that she felt she had found her place.

“I’m always so curious in the little stories people tell, whether verbal or nonverbal,” Mbue said. “Just by watching and listening, I am able to learn so much about a person.”

Through her writing and storytelling, Mbue has discovered several truths about life.

“We are all storytellers, and we all have a special tale to share,” she said.
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Through her storytelling, Mbue hopes she can create empathy and understanding. She confesses that, while writing her novel, she felt more empathy towards Jende than Clark, but that experience gave her some insight.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told us we need to love everyone, but we don’t necessarily like everyone,” Mbue said. “We have to examine in our own lives how we can show generosity to all people.”

Mbue closed by asking all in attendance to reflect on the role themselves as individuals play in treating everyone with dignity.

“In a world with so much discourse, we can only control our own prejudices and actions. We can do nothing about the actions of others,” she said.

Sophomore english and human rights major Mary McLoughlin attended the talk and found a lot of inspiration from it.

“In a time when storytelling is more important than ever, I’m glad UD is taking the initiative and inviting voices from around the world to be heard here on campus,” she said.

The Global Voices on the University of Dayton Campus Symposium was sponsored by the Alumni Chair in the Humanities, as well as the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Dean.

Photo Courtesy of Christian Cubacub/Staff Photographer