The place one finds himself affects the kind of identity one can assume and or manifest. And yet the place for identity construction is itself not absolute but affected by the choices and actions of the person constructing, the persons in the construction and the context of the construction of identity. How to affect the place of one’s existence therefore becomes a major issue in the determination of identity construction. The capacity or incapacity to affect the place of one’s identity construction implicitly becomes a further fundamental issue in identity construction. This work engages with the issues raised by the place of place in identity construction. The work employs the instruments of poetry and storytelling, conversations and conceptualizations to explore the roles that place plays in personal identity construction. Ultimately, using the dialogic method, the work focuses on the African in the 21st century world, the challenges that his place places on him, and how he may navigate the challenges using the affordances of the same place, recreated, to construct the identity that he desires for himself.
Keywords: Place; Identity; Construction; African; The World Today