Abiola irele, harvard university, massachusetts, simon gikandi, university of michigan, ann arbor. Oral histories, poetry, and tales west african literature was part of an oral tradition that passed from generation to generation. This is the first anthology to bring together the key texts of african literary theory and criticism. Ngugi wa thiongo in decolonizing the mind 1986 chooses to describe them afro european literatures. African literature, literary works of the african continent. Technologies such as writing and printing play a vital role in transmitting. Intended to provide help for those interested in studying west african literature, this book is divided into three parts. The idea of political engagement has motivated african literatures from the very beginning, as attested by diverse literary articulations of anti.
Contrary to european literature, african written literature has matured much later. Conclusion 503 map showing peoples mentioned in the text 508 bibliography 511 index 547 oral literature in dd 11 82812 12. Metaphor and the slave trade in west african literature. Download metaphor and the slave trade in west african literature in pdf and epub formats for free.
At its most formal, this was a literature developed by specially trained poets and musicians who served kings and nobles. Email citation this book is an exploration of trends in african literature and its european legacies. Brings together key texts that are otherwise hard to locate covers all genres and critical schools provides the intellectual context for understanding african literature facilitates the future development of african literary criticism. But west african literature was also a folk art that expressed the. The heavy pot, hanging in front of him, made hi s ascent almost impossible. Metaphor and the slave trade in west african literature book also available for read online, mobi, docx and mobile and kindle reading. The african presence in caribbean literature revisited.
The development of literatures by west africans in english, french, and portuguese is a byproduct of colonial. African literature consists of a body of work in different languages and various genres, ranging from oral literature to literature written in colonial languages french, portuguese, and english. What are the characteristics of african literature. A critical anthologynairobi east african literature bureau, 1973 pp. Through an examination of metaphors that describe the trauma, loss, and suffering associated with the. Waecnecojamb literature recommended texts 2021 2025 pdf. One of the desired results of this mentoring scheme is to create an online support network between writers in uganda and writers in the uk. Morals and lessons are typically woven into wellcrafted and engaging stories. There are not always clear lines between these forms. Jan 10, 2020 the west african examination council, waec, neco and nabteb has released the selected and harmonized literature texts books for senior secondary certificate examinations, ssce for school and private candidates for 2021 2025 session. Doc themes in african literature aneeta joseph academia. He comments, until these writers and their western midwives accept the fact that true african literature must be written in african languages, they would be merely pursuing a dead end.
Western civilisation and culture began to creep into african sociocultural milieu, first, with the contact of europeans with africa, a consequence of berlin conference in the quest for imperial pilfering of african resources and, later, consolidated by the unstoppable wave of globalisation. African literature is meant in large part to be educational as well as entertaining. Themes in the literary traditions of contemporary africa are worked out frequently within the strictures laid down by the imported religions christianity and islam and within the struggle between traditional and modern, between rural and newly urban, between genders, and between generations. West african literary elements are said to have relatively loose narrative structure, idea of time, and a lack of character delineation 21.
Metaphor and the slave trade in west african literature on. African literature article about african literature by the. African literature can be divided into three distinct categories. Exploring west african folk narrative texts using machine. Gerrit olivier notes, while it is not unusual to hear academics and politicians talk about a south african literature, the situation at round level is characterised by diversity and even fragmentation.
Recent trends in african studies and the revival of interest in oral literature. Traditional written literature, which is limited to a smaller geographic area than is oral literature, is most characteristic. The paper deals with some of the themes in african literature. West african literatures provides students with fresh, indepth perspectives on the key debates in the field. The aim of this book is not to provide an authoritative, encyclopedic account, but to consider a selection of the regions literatures in relation to prevailing discussions about literature and postcolonialism. Metaphor and the slave trade in west african literature on jstor. Born in senegal in 1929, mariama ba was an icon of african literature as a writer who promoted her work and herself as a modern muslim woman. Most of the writing comes from angola, cape verde, and mozambique, but sao tome and guinea are equally well represented. There, he thought, wisdom would indeed be beyond the reach of every one but himself. These peoples have long maintained trade and cultural relations with arabia, india, iran, and indonesia, so that the influence exerted by the cultures of. Dealing with a range of social and cultural issues, from womens rights and feminism to postwar and postcolonial identity, here are some of africas best contemporary. Things fall apart by chinua achebe, half of a yellow sun by chimamanda ngozi adichie, americanah by chimamanda ngozi. This book is an exploration of trends in african literature and its european legacies.
The columbia guide to west african literature in english. It explores how four canonical authors in particular. African people were imported through capture and sale to labor. Metaphor and the slave tradeexamines the hidden though significant role the transatlantic slave trade has played in the anglophone west african imagination and the means by which it has been metaphorized in the literary production of the region. At the african writers trust, our mission is to connect african writers in the diaspora for a mutual sharing of skills and resources. African literature may have gained much of its popularity in the 1950s, but its history goes back thousands of years. Pdf west african literature katrin berndt academia.
Few west african feminist texts have been studied so widely as mariama bas so long a letter. The social, linguistic, and literary background 51. Contemporary writers classics chinua achebe novelist, poet, professor and critic focused on traditions, missionaries and conflicts between cultures most notable work things fall apart veronique tadjo from ivory coast traveled and lived in many parts of africa. African literature african literature the influence of oral traditions on modern writers. A history of south african literature this book is the. African literature is literature of or from africa and includes oral literature as george joseph. English as used in west africa the official language of nigeria, ghana, sierra leone, gambia, and cameroon. Brings together key texts that are otherwise hard to locate covers all genres and critical schools provides the intellectual context for understanding african literature facilitates the. That african literature in portuguese has received so little attention seems surprising, for it is a formidable body of work of a varied and a most appealing originality. Owomoyelas portrait points to the major impact of west african literature on the evolution of both african and world literatures in english. African arts and west africa are two additional sources in which articles on various popular arts in africa can be found. Through the themes of mobility and labour, this chapter addresses the question of political agency in african literatures in the global era. Infact modern african writing arose out of association between west and africa, a.
On the plantation the african american creative arts of dance, music, sculpture, crafts, and oral literature began when africans arrived as a part of the slave trade in the 1600s. Focusing on sung poetry song in particular, she shows how oral traditions endure from generation to generation in their own right, on local and global stages, and as live and recorded performance into the 21 st century. Again and again he tried to reach the top of the tree, where he intended to hang the pot. Sure to become the definitive text for research in the field, the columbia guide to west african literature in english since 1945 is a vital resource for newcomers as well as for advanced scholars seeking. The cambridge history of african and caribbean literature edited by f. There is also great pride in sharing stories about history and culture, even if the stories arent always pleasant and uplifting. The predominant african languages used are amharic, zulu, hausa, and swahili.
Griggs edited by john cullen gruesser and hanna wallinger. African literature, the body of traditional oral and written literatures in afroasiatic and african languages together with works written by africans in european languages. The term west african pidgin english refers to a continuum of english based pidgins and creoles spoken along the west coast of africa, particularly in nigeria, liberia, and sierra leone. African literature the influence of oral traditions on. The basic characteristics of african english literature are 1 written in both african and european languages. Whatever is created belongs to the creatorsnot to the god that created them, and certainly not to the colonist or slavemaster. Before the 1940s historical interpretations of slavery suggested that the experience of the long and brutal voyage across the atlantic ocean and the humiliating and dehumanizing effect of enslavement destroyed the enslaved africans identity and severed them from their culture. Indeed songs of a large variety of styles and genres are present in almost all spheres of life in west africa from rituals and ceremonies to protest songs and contemporary dance music. The first problem any student of south african literature is confronted with, is the diversity of the literary systems. The west african examination council, waec, neco and nabteb has released the selected and harmonized literature texts books for senior secondary certificate examinations, ssce for school and private candidates for 2021 2025 session. Song as oral tradition in west africa the british library. West african folktales 6 looking tree, he began to climb. Suubi a collection of short stories and poems from the african writers.
East african literature the literature of the peoples of east africa who speak the swahili language and live in kenya, uganda, the united republic of tanzania, and malawi and on the island of mafia. African literature is literature of or from africa and includes oral literature or orature, in the term coined by ugandan scholar pio zirimu as george joseph notes in his chapter on african literature in understanding contemporary africa, whereas european views of literature often stressed a separation of art and content, african awareness is inclusive. It is usually referred as the modern african literature i. Used by upwards of 30 million people, west african pidgin english wape serves primarily as an interethnic lingua. Songs thus form a core part of west africas rich complex of oral literature. East african literature article about east african. Ayi kwei armah and a commonwealth of souls, in chris wanjala ed.
After all, western literary works, like the african, emerged from the pre literate western cultures to what they later on become in the middle age. Waecnecojamb literature recommended texts 2021 2025. In this section, you are going to learn a lot about african folktale which is a very important part of storytelling. In west african traditions, land belongs to the person who works it. Contemporary african literature will help students to develop a greater appreciation of cultural, thematic, and aesthetic representations in african literature, starting from a quick revision of the classic, but concentrating mostly on the contemporary texts from different countries.
The emergence of written literat ure in english in angl ophone west africa goes. The perception of african oral literature 29 nineteenthcentury approaches and collections. Mariama ba mariama ba the first african feminist writer image source. Modern african literature in european languages african. Culture, language and evolution of african literature. The top 10 contemporary african writers you should know. Besides a general overview on african art, cook conducts close readings of fiction and drama by cyprian ekwensi, ngugi wa thiongo, wole soyinka, and peter palangyo. Definition and examples of west african pidgin english. Metaphor and the slave tradeprovides compelling evidence of the hidden but unmistakable traces of the transatlantic slave trade that persist in west african discourse. At the start of the project, we set out to fulfill two aims. Pdf download metaphor and the slave trade in west african. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. Precolonial literature often takes the form of oral narratives that are sometimes accompanied by music and center around the trickster figure. Until fairly recently, west african writing in english and french has dominated the literary scene of the continent south of the.
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