▁ ▁In ▁the ▁post - colon ial ▁era , ▁it ▁became ▁evident ▁that ▁African ▁nations ▁would ▁need ▁to ▁un ite ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁form ▁permanent ▁states ▁and ▁establish ▁national ▁govern ments . ▁ ▁This ▁re - brand ed ▁type ▁of ▁national ism ▁was ▁created ▁through ▁a ▁collaboration ▁of ▁ideas ▁stem ming ▁from ▁traditional ▁commun al ▁t ies ▁already ▁in ▁existence ▁on ▁the ▁continent , ▁and ▁by ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁self - ▁determ ination ▁that ▁was ▁champion ed ▁by ▁the ▁United ▁Nations . ▁ ▁T ogether , ▁these ▁concepts ▁assist ed ▁in ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁so ver eign ▁states ▁in ▁Africa . ▁ ▁African ▁Comm unal ▁Identity ▁in ▁the ▁Nov el ▁ ▁The ▁novel ▁A ya ▁of ▁Y op ▁City ▁en comp ass es ▁an ▁overall ▁theme ▁of ▁African ▁national ism , ▁which ▁is ▁exhib ited ▁through ▁famil ial ▁and ▁commun al ▁t ies ▁within ▁the ▁I vor ian ▁community . ▁Comm unal ism ▁is ▁argued ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁form ▁of ▁national ism ▁that ▁is ▁unique ▁to ▁Africa ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁continent ' s ▁history ▁with ▁colonial ism . ▁▁ ▁This ▁commun al ▁idea ▁of ▁national ism ▁serves ▁a ▁different ▁purpose ▁than ▁the ▁Euro cent ric ▁norm , ▁in ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁focused ▁on ▁ ▁obtain ing ▁a ▁collect ive ▁identity ▁that ▁speak s ▁to ▁the ▁shared ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁African ▁people ▁living ▁in ▁a ▁post - colon ial ▁era . ▁For ▁example , ▁the ▁characters ▁in ▁the ▁book ▁are ▁not ▁introduced ▁individually , ▁but ▁rather ▁as ▁family ▁members ▁that ▁play ▁complement ary ▁roles