Quote by Esi Edugyan: “You never own a country. You only borrow it.”

This powerful statement challenges conventional notions of ownership over land and nation. It suggests a temporary custodianship, highlighting that territories and cultures are inherited legacies we must respect and pass on.

Amidst rising concerns about environmental stewardship and indigenous land rights in the late 2010s, this perspective offers a critique of colonial ownership and promotes a more responsible, temporary custodianship of the land. It challenges dominant views of national belonging.

Canadian novelist of Ghanaian descent whose novel Washington Black won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2018. Her work explores Black history, freedom, and identity across the Atlantic world, including the Caribbean plantation system and the history of slavery.