In "The Arrivants" Brathwaite sets out to record the history of South Africa, from start to its unavoidable conclusion. Arranged into three sections, the poem traces the history of life from aquatic simple-celled organisms to its inevitable total extinction. "Bermudas" focuses on the primitive early life, as humans just begin to organize themselves into cohesive social groups and build homes for themselves. "Bread" covers the evolution of society from agriculture all the way to collective cynicism. Finally "Soweto" exclusively addresses the defining events of the twentieth century, concluding with the threat of global destruction.
Brathwaite's goal is to correctly describe the nature and history of South Africa. He accomplishes this in a lengthy poem, one in which form proves just as important as content. In addition to language, he structures the poem into three parts: pre-history, history, and present. The length of the lines vary from 10 or so words all the way down to single-word lines. This could be interpreted a number of ways but most likely alludes to the dramatic climate changes of the continent throughout the various regions and seasons. Especially near the end, phrases are broken apart between lines and eventually even words are split between two lines. Fragmentation is an important theme throughout Africa's history, so Brathwaite's fragmented phrasing reflects this central characteristic. From tribal differences to colonization to political differences, the people of Africa have experienced diverse and disjointed versions of the same history.
Among Caribbean authors, Brathwaite is known for his controversial use of local dialects. He lost consideration for a number of awards because he includes the "broken" dialects of indigenous peoples in most of his works. "The Arrivants" is no exception. As the poem progresses, Brathwaite uses more and more native phrases. Words are thrown in every once in a while which are in various African languages. Even the English words are occasionally spelled in an alternate way which reflects a native accent or dialect. One particularly strong example of Brathwaite's commitment to accurate representation is in the passage about Ethiopia where he slows the pace by splitting phrases into one or two word lines which are written in the "broken English" of the region, sounding similar to that of Jamaica.
Each region of the south is given its own passage, though not distinctly separated. Some have more content than others, but each is given a voice and a character distinct from the others. Although Brathwaite titles the final section of the poem "Soweto," it also addresses other regions and countries including Ethiopia, Congo, and the Herero. Brief but artistic, Brathwaite truly commits to capturing the voice South Africa, with all of its intricacies and changes throughout the years. He pays religious attention to each word, constructing a narrative through pervasive analogy and allusion. To the cautious reader, the poem offers endless analytical fodder and intellectual delight. Like Africa herself, it is intricately beautiful.
