African Literature

African Literature

African Literature consist of a work in different languages and genres, in which you can found oral and written material in colonial languages (French, English, Portuguese or Spanish)

The beginnings of African literature started with ancient Egyptians with their knowledge about creating “ papyrus” and written text. But the period of colonization was the most important, because Europeans started to use Christian ethic to teach African people there culture and they started to destroy the Africa´s culture. However, the African people tried to never forget their culture. The African communities that were closer to Europe, they have the possibility to be educated on writing and reading techniques.

In 1789, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Oluadah Equiano was the first slave narrative to be published. This autobiography was written by an Ibo man that suffers from kidnapping in Nigeria and his entire journey in Great Britain.

  

Oral literature consist in proverbs, stories, legends, traditions, their ancestors heroic events, myths, songs or histories, In Africa they’re mostly taught to educate their children and in that form never loose their old roots.

To African society it is essential oral literature, so the folktale tellers use call-response techniques using music in their narratives.

The written literature took place in inspirations with themes like slavery, legends, racism, old traditions and slave trade. One of the fist work ever written was associated with Christian missionary activity. The first work that began to get known in the West part of the world where the novels, stories or publications where written about the horrors already mention.

When African authors began to write their work in their language, they began to criticise the colonial repression.

Since the early 19-century, writers from western Africa began to use the newspapers as a way to criticise and to show their feelings against their nation government. When the Négritude Movement started, a lot of french-african writers began to use poetry, such as Léon Damas and Aimé Césaire.

After the World War II, Africa began to fight for their Independence and the writers start to make plays, essays, histories, novels and stories about the hope of a new bright future and the pride to be African.

Otherwise, Africa culture began to develop there literature and get known, for example, In 1986, Wole Soyinka became the first African writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature.

However, the African writers focus more on writing about African past during the colonialism, for instance Chinua Achebe`s work has been inspired on the tribe he was born “Igo” within there conflicts, such as slavery. Although, Africa has develop the possibility to have Universities specialized on African Literature, and also in schools and Universities all around the world.

The period called Post-Achebe African Literature was a time that African writers has the possibility to get known worldwide matters. Also in this period the women started to write and to give the female knowledge against the racist, slavery and colonialism period. Chinua Achebe has his importance because it was his best time as a writer and he began to support other writers.

In conclusion, Africa is a country that is in way of developing and continue looking forward to the future, but it will always have their culture present.

BY: Sandra Castañeda Mota

REFERENCES:

UNC ( 2007) Unc.edu (Online) Availabe at:

http://www.unc.edu/~hhalpin/ThingsFallApart/literature.html

[ Accessed on: January 22, 2013]

Indiana Univerity ( 2009) Muse Proyect ( Online) Available at:

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ral/

[ Accessed on: January 22, 2013]