About the poet
Wole Soyinka is an important figure in post-colonial literature. He is a renowned Nigerian playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist, widely considered one of Africa’s greatest literary figures. In 1986, Soyinka became the first African to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, recognized for his rich and complex body of work that, according to the Nobel committee, “in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence.”
Analysis
The poem Telephone Conversation is set in an unnamed country, implied to be England. It takes place in a red telephone booth during a phone call between the speaker, a Black African man, and a white landlady from whom the speaker wants to rent an apartment. The apartment seems fine, as it is affordable, in a decent location, and the landlady does not live there. But then comes the crucial moment of ‘self-confession.’ The speaker feels obligated to reveal that he is African, anticipating that his race might be an issue. A silence follows. The landlady responds with an intrusive, racist question: “ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?”
This isn’t just rude; it reduces the speaker to the shades of his skin, stripping away his dignity. The speaker is caught in a moment of shock and shame, almost trapped in the public phone booth, a place without privacy. Yet his humiliation feels isolating and personal. The vivid red images — the booth, pillar box, and the bus — intensify the feelings of heat, shame, and anger, and also symbolize Britishness. The speaker is overwhelmed not only by the words but by the politeness masking cruelty, the ‘good breeding’ that pretends to be civilized while delivering deeply offensive judgments. After the offensive question about skin tone, the landlady tries to sound more polite by softening her phrase: “ARE YOU DARK? OR VERY LIGHT?”
In response, the speaker turns to sarcasm. He compares skin colour to “plain or milk chocolate,” mocking the lady’s shallow view of race. Trying to keep up with her level of superficial thinking, the speaker jokingly says that he is “West African sepia,” as if he is a colour sample in a catalogue. But still, she doesn’t understand, and he replies, “Like brunette.” At this point, the speaker uses full satire. He describes his skin with precision, saying that the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet are blond, while his bottom is raven black because of the friction from sitting. This is brilliant mockery. He exposes how absurd it is to judge a person based on skin tone.
Finally, sensing that the landlady is about to hang up the phone, he offers a sarcastic solution, asking her to see his colour for herself. In the end, the landlady likely cuts the phone call, suggesting that she is a white person who still holds the power to silence the Black speaker. Even though the speaker is smart and witty, the poem doesn’t have a happy ending. It is a sad reminder that racism still gives some people the power to silence others.