AFRICAN LITERATURE: Courage in Rising above all challenges

Essential Question: Have you ever felt so discouraged that you almost wanted to give up and quit?

What does literature reveal about Africans and Asians character? Unit Question: What does literature reveal about Africans and Asians character? How do Africans and Asians respond to the challenges of modernity as reflected in their literary pieces?

Content Question: What are the African’s views on nature and man? Why discrimination exist in African society? What are the characteristics of the African people?

A brief background and history of African literatures Africa has a long and complex literary history. Indeed, to suggest that one historical account can represent all of the literatures, across time, from all of the regions of Africa is misleading. Deciding when African literature first appears, or when the tradition begins, are questions that are ultimately unanswerable, and determining which literary forms originate in Africa and which are borrowed from elsewhere are issues over which literary critics continue to debate. Nevertheless, scholars of African literatures have put forth a general historical overview that allows readers, listeners, and students to gain a sense of the literary history of Africa.

Introduction Western definition Imaginative or critical writings whether in the form of prose or verse To become literature, stories, proverbs, legends, etc. must to recorded For a long time, there was not written language in most of Africa (literature is Latin for “written”) Attempts were made by colonists to document oral literature

Traditional Or Oral Literature Used interchangeably to refer to stories that have become the cultural heritage of the community Most African stories have moral endings, however, many are composed for entertainment Stories have been revised by the teller and tailored to the audience of a particular place or time

Fables Seen as fiction as designed to teach Straight out instruction and open ended for interpretation What is in print is only a small part of the storytelling event and make the lessons memorable Fables usually use animal characters to educate the reader or listener Aimed at children to teach them the values of the community Community knows that the story is fiction, but the message is considered important

Myths are not usually fictitious stories Considered sacred stories that deal with origins and explanations of natural phenomenon and human institutions Original tellers thought the stories to be true and treated them as sacred Myths are not usually fictitious stories

Brothers Grimm made the folktale famous Folktales Seen as fiction as in fables and also used to teach indirectly, but also to express the individual and communities hopes and fears, to provide entertainment and to create a role model of desirable conduct for the community Brothers Grimm made the folktale famous Characters tend to be humans who encounter adventures and problems but can contain animals.

Legends Unverified stories, more closely related to history or biography Reflect peoples ideals as embodied in the actions of heroes Tell a people’s history as recalled thorough oral tradition and used frequently to create a cultural or political identify for the group Some legends tell the significance of specific landmarks like mountains and waterfalls

Poetry More contemporary than traditional literature Family rites connected with birth, death, marriage, religious ceremonies were all occasions to recite poetry Part of every day life Hunting, harvesting, preparing meals Poets, like griots can be esteemed or distained based on the culture The larger the poets repertoire, the more respected they are Modern poetry is concerned with cultural, social, political or economic life Themes could deal with spirits, death, oppression

The Novel The African novel in new Most novels were an outgrowth of the society in which the author lived Moving from a limited view to a global view of life Wrote of traditional life, religion and colonial oppression Novelists have gained worldwide recognition since independence

Conclusion Long journey to develop its own written literature and to preserve the oral traditions Themes must go beyond colonial past and focus on the future and provide a sense of direction

Video

End....