The interpretation of V. Y. Mudimbe’s The Rift focuses on the interaction between text and reader. The presence of the implied author in the preface, the fragmentary character of the narrative which takes the form of a diary, the
literary allusions, quotes and notes are all part of the deluding strategies
used to upset the reader’s expectations of genre, but also to critique the
postcolonial archive and question the role of contemporary intellectuals in
relation to it.