The Use of the "Talking Android" in Modern Times
Throughout Mumbo Jumbo, Ishmael Reed creates the idea of a “Talking Android” to reflect on how Western politics manipulate perceptions to appeal to a greater audience. Mumbo Jumbo uses non-traditional storytelling to frame history with an Afrocentric perspective, rather than a Westernized one. An epidemic, Jes Grew, takes over the country, causing extreme turmoil in the eyes of White people, as Black people begin dancing more and begin embracing their culture more. There are two primary opposing sides: the members of the Mumbo Jumbo Kathedral who work to advance and restore Black culture, and the Wallflower order, a secret society that promotes Atonism and controls most of the politics and society. To appeal to a wider audience, the Wallflower order uses a “talking android” to promote their ideals. This is essentially a Black person who praises Western culture and can work from within Black communities to instill Eurocentric beliefs. The use of the “talking ...