Telephone Conversation
by Wole Soyinka
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The poem exposes racial discrimination through an ironic telephone conversation. An African man, seeking to rent a room, honestly confesses to the landlady, 'I am African', to avoid a wasted journey. After a silence of 'pressurised good-breeding', the landlady asks how dark he is, 'ARE YOU LIGHT / OR VERY DARK?', as if grading him like chocolate ('plain or milk'). The speaker responds with biting wit, describing himself as 'West African sepia' and then, mockingly, detailing the varied colours of his body, brunette face, 'peroxide blonde' palms and soles, and a bottom turned 'raven black' by friction. As the landlady is about to slam down the receiver, he pleads, 'wouldn't you rather / See for yourself?' The poem is a powerful satire on the absurdity and cruelty of racism.
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The honest confession
The price is reasonable and the location acceptable; the landlady swears she lives off the premises. Nothing remains but 'self-confession': to avoid a wasted journey, the African speaker warns her, 'Madam … I am African.' There follows a silence of 'pressurised good-breeding'.
'How dark are you?'
The landlady's voice returns, refined and lipsticked, to ask the shocking question: 'HOW DARK?... ARE YOU LIGHT / OR VERY DARK?' Stunned and shamed by the ill-mannered question, the speaker, surrounded by red booth, red pillar-box and red bus, realises the humiliating reality of the prejudice he faces.
Ironic self-description
Recovering his wit, the speaker mockingly clarifies: he is 'West African sepia', 'like plain or milk chocolate', 'brunette' in the face. He then satirically catalogues the changing colours of his body, the 'peroxide blonde' palms of his hands and soles of his feet, and a bottom turned 'raven black' by friction from sitting down.
The final thrust
Sensing the landlady about to slam down the receiver 'on the thunderclap', the speaker delivers his ironic final plea: 'Madam,' he pleads, 'wouldn't you rather / See for yourself?' The mockery exposes the absurdity of judging a human being by the shade of his skin.