¡Descarga African Literature: Cultures, Languages, and Themes in English-Speaking African Countries y más Apuntes en PDF de Cultura Inglesa solo en Docsity! Nerea Lorenzo Barreda EEII. Culturas y literaturas de habla inglesa (segundo parcial) AFRICA There are 54 countries in Africa, so their literature is multiple and varied. They have colonial influences of the English, Portuguese, French, German, Dutch and other colonizers and invaders. - More than 3000 distintc ethnic groups (w/ its own literature). - Over 1000 languages 50 are major languages (officials) - Most important religions are Islam and Christianity. Oral literature. Well-developed oral literature; poems, proverbs, riddles as well as myths, legens, stories, dramas, songs and folk tales. TOPICS good behaviour (how to behave in society), belief in the supernatural, activity of clans and folk tales. *African myths revolve around the myth of creation, how life started. *African legends heroic human achievements (establishment of clans, dynasties or the telling of disasters). Legens are epic in character. * Folk tales for night time entertainment (animals&humans); the trickster, a claver animal using its cleverness to evade harm from more powerful animals; they behave like humans Anansi (spider, Ghana); Ajapa (tortoise, Nigeria); Sungaura (hare, Central & East Africa). Written literature. Earliest written literature; northern part of Africa (ties w/ Europe and Middle East). They had religious influences Islamic writings in West Africa, and also in the East. The Era of Contemporary African literature. It starts around the 20th century when some Africans began to publish their creative writings in several African and European languages. The Islam brought literacy to Africa in 11th century in Ghana (most of it dealt w/ the study of the Koran). Literacy was also increased by the spreading of Christianity and commerce. African literature its nature. No separation between art and teaching (beauty only to teach a truth) Story tellers use call-and response techniques to tell their stories. Poetry, often sung, includes narrative epic, ritual verse, praise poems to rulers and other prominent people. Within poetry praise singers, bards sometimes known as griots, tell their stories with music. *Have lost their importance. Themes. - The confrontation between Africa’s past and present. - The confrontation between tradition and modernity. - The confrontation between indigenous and foreign. - The confrontation between individualism and community - The confrontation between socialism and capitalism - Social problems corruption, economic disparities, rights and roles of women. West Africa. The novel is only literary imported form (drama and poetry already belonged to the African heritage; within the oral tradition). Then, the novel has most interest in the new writers; the novel completed their African artistic view of the world. TOPICS depiction of an ideal world, without Europeans; innocence of village life; detailed desccription of group ceremonies. The beginning of West African fiction are found in two works by Ghanaians Casely Hayford’s Ethiopia Unbound (1911) and R. E. Obeng’s Eighteenpence (1943). *Nigeria by itself produces more literature than all other countries combined. Gambia occupies second place. In the modern African literature there is a preponderance of male writers, (underrepresation of women). *They have the belief that men had a greater need of education than women. Authors. Amos Tutuola; Nigeria, 1920-1997. Was self-taught and internationally praised for books based on Yoruba folktales, *“The Palm-Wine Drankard” (1952) first Nigerian book to achieve international fame. He had an unique style: fusing folklore w/ modern life. Chinua Achebe; Nigeria, 1930-2013. Professor best known for “Things fall apart” (1959), the most widely read book in modern African literature. Raised by Christian parents. He was interested in world religions and traditional African cultures. Chimamanda Adichie; Nigeria, 1977-. Widely acclaimed igbo writer. She has published poetry, plays, short stories and novels (“Purple Hibiscus” (2003); “Half of a Yellow Sun” (2007)).
