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African Literature PDF
African Literature PDF
Anacay
ETYMOLOGY
AFRICA TERRA – Land of the afri
AFRI(Plural)
AFER(Singular)
AFER May be from:
PHOENICIAN AFAR – Meaning dust
or
AFRIDI – Tribe of northern africa
ETYMOLOGY
GREEK APHRIKE –
Meaning without cold or
LATIN APRICA – Meaning
sunny
And later became Africa
INTRODUCTION
AFRICA – 2nd largest continent next to
Asia
It covers more than ONE – FIFTH Of all
the earth’s surface
It comprises 46 COUNTRIES
AND TERRITORIES
INTRODUCTION
SUEZ CANAL, THE GULF OF SUEZ AND THE RED
SEA – Separate Africa from Asia
SRAITS OF GIBRALTAR AND MEDITERRANEAN
SEA – Separate Africa from Europe
ATLANTIC OCEAN – West
INDIAN OCEAN - East
LANGUAGES
FIVE MAJOR LANGUAGES:
1. Afroasiastic languages
2. Click languages
3. Niger – congo languages
4. Sudanic languages
5. Austronesian languages
RELIGION
ISLAM – Dominant
religion of northern
Africa
It replaced Christianity in the
17th century
EDUCATION
LITERARY RATES FOR MEN Are
higher than women
URBAN EDUCATION Are higher than
rural education
RICHEST Countries invest more than
poorest countries in terms of education
Only a small fraction of afica’ s young
people attend universities
AFRICAN LITERATURE
It includes ORAL LITERATURE
They called it as ORATURE
ORATURE – Was coined by PIO ZIRIMU
PIO ZIRIMU – Ugandan scholar
AFRICAN LITERATURE
PROSE – Mythological or
historical, written or spoken
language
CALL-AND RESPONSE –
Spontaneous verbal and
non-verbal interaction
between the speaker and
the listener
PRE-COLONIAL LITERATURE
EPIC OF SUNDIATA –
Composed in medieval Mali
CHINUA ACHEBE
- Nigerian novelist and
poet
- His 1st novel was
entitled THINGS FALL
APART
- He has been co-editor of
okike
AFRICAN WRITERS AND POETS
- OKIKE (Was of Africa's most influential
literary magazines)
- Other works: THE ARROW OF GOD, A
MAN OF THE PEOPLE, GIRLS AT
WAR, CHRISTMAS IN BIAFRA AND
OTHER POEMS
AFRICAN WRITERS AND POETS
JOHN PEPPER CLARK
- Nigerian poet, dramatist, and
literary critic
- Born: APRIL 6, 1935
- Plays: OZIDI AND SONG
OF GOAT
- Representative of his poetry
was the volume, A DEVADE
OF TONGUES.
AFRICAN WRITERS AND POETS
NGUGI WA THIONG’O
- Born: JANUARY 5, 1938
IN KENYA
- The most important east
African novelist
- 1st two novels: WEEP NOT, CHILD
AND THE RIVER BETWEEN
BY CHINUA ACHEBE
CHARACTERS:
OKONKWO – Respected and influential
leader
UNOKA – Okonkwo’s father
IKEMEFUNA – He was given to the village
as a peace offering by neighboring mbaino
NWOYE – Okonkwo’s son
OJIUGO – Youngest wife of okonkwo
EKWEFI – Second wife of okonkwo
CHARACTERS:
OGBUEFI EZEUDER – Oldest man in
the village
OBIERIKA – Okonkwo’s best friend
EZINMA – Daughter of Okonkwo and
his wife Ekwefi
EGWUGWU – Nine clan leaders, also
represent nine villages of Umuofia
MGBAFO – Had been severely beaten
by her husband
CHARACTERS:
CHIELO – Toldcaves okonkwo
that agbala needs to see ezinma
AGBALA – The oracle of the hills
and caves
UCHENDU – Uncle of okonkwo
And a village elder of mbanta
CHI – Personal spirit
CHARACTERS:
EFULEFU – 1st recruits of the
missionaries; they are weak and
worthless men of the village
MR. BROWN – The white
missionary
REVEREND JAMES SMITH -
Becomes the new head of the
christian church
VOCABULARY:
VOLATILE – Liable to change rapidly and
unpredictably , especially for the worse
APT – Having a tendency to do something
PROVOCATION – Action or speech that
makes someone annoyed or angry, especially
deliberately
EXILE – Expel, banish, drive out, throw out;
to be away from one’s home
VOCABULARY:
KINSMAN – A man who is one of person’s
blood relations
MACHETE - A broad knife used as an
implement or weapon
BEHEADS – Form of execution
CLANSMAN – A male member of a clan
ORACLE – Authority, mentor, and adviser
SQUANDERED – Waste something in a
reckless and foolish manner
SETTING:
UMUOFIA – Located in
eastern nigeria
MBANTA – Native village
of okonkwo’s mother
THANK YOU
FOR
WATCHING!