A Chorus Across The Ocean

The concept of"diaspora consciousness"can be described as a consciousness which transcends the singularity of cultural identities and perspectives. It is about feeling global it makes the best of a bad situation it comprises painful sufferings, the ability of survival, and strength in adapting differences. Diaspora consciousness provides people, surviving in the margin of society, with a new vision to deconstruct the dominant status of the mainstream culture and helps diaspora subjects to identify themselves with the host society with an open attitude. Caryl Phillips (1958—), draws much inspiration from his diasporic background and writes about individuals struggling with the pain and frustration caused by physical and psychological displacement. Crossing the River, with its fragmentation in form and polyphony in voice, which tells the life story of displaced subjects surviving in difficulty, is a best representation of Phillips's diaspora consciousness both in theme and in artistry.