AFRICAN

LITERATURE
DAPHNIE S. MONTEVERDE
 LITERARY BACKGROUND OF
THE
AFRICAN
• The most notable LITERATURE
literary selections are those that
capture the life and struggle of the African people. There
have been significant struggles that could have been left
untouched, but writers choose to face courageous task of
answering the call of pen, and begin the process of
social healing through literature. Perhaps, it is this
brilliant characteristic of African literature that enables it
to shine and fulfill one universal function of literature.
LITERARY FORMS

ORAL
LITERATUR
WRITTEN
E
LITERATURE
 LITERARY FORMS
ORAL LITERATURE
• Oral literature, also called as “orature,” have
flourished in Africa for many centuries and take a
variety of forms including folk tales, myths, epics,
funeral dirges, praise poems, and proverbs.
LITERARY FORMS

WRITTEN LITERATURE
• Written literature includes novels, plays,
poems, hymns, and tales.
 FAMOUS
LITERARY WORKS
 POETRY
• Paris in the Snow swings between assimilation of French, European
culture or negritude; intensified by the poet’s catholic piety.
• Totem by Leopold Senghor shows the eternal linkage of the living with the
dead.
• Letters to Martha by Dennis Brutus is the poet’s most famous collection
that speaks of the humiliation, the despondency, the indignity of prison
life.
• Train Journey by Dennis Brutus reflects the poet’s social commitment as
he reacts to poverty around him amidst material progress especially and
acutely felt by the innocent victims, the children.
AFRICA BY DAVID DIOP
(July 9, 1927 – August 29, 1960)

was one of the most promising French

-

West African poets known for his

contribution to the Négritude literary
movement.

His work reflects his anti-colonial stance

and his hope for an independent Africa.
Africa, my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral
savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates
the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
Africa, tell me Africa
Is this you, this back that is bent
This back that breaks
Under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
 PERSONA
•  The persona in the poem “Africa” is a person from Africa (a black one) but is living
in another country. This can be seen in the lines; “Africa my Africa, I have never
known you but your blood flows in my veins”. You can sense how much he misses
his homeland by his stress on the word Africa, and he continues to call it "My
Africa" to emphasize that it is his land and his feelings of patriotism towards it.  I
have also known the authors biography, stating that he is of West African descent
and he lived in France throughout his childhood and only visited Africa in the 1950s.
His choice of word “distant” from the line “On the banks of a distant river” again
symbolize how far he is from his country. In some lines in the poem we may be able
to know that the persona is a young one (maybe in his teens or early 20’s), from the
verses “Africa whom my grandmother sings” As he stress that he did not know
Africa until he heard it from his grandmother songs (his grandmother maybe telling
him a story from Africa to satisfy his cleverness since for me he is a child), and
“Impetuous child that tree, young and strong”.
THEME
•  The theme for me would be “patriotism”, again understanding the poem in
biographical perspectives most of the authors poems highlighted the problems
of Africa brought about by the colonialism. In this poem he gave a message to
African people to urge and bring about the change & freedom in verses; “Is this
your back that is unbent, this back that never breaks under the weights of
humiliation, This back trembling w/ red scars and saying yes to the whip of
under the midday sun”. These lines encourage the African people to stand up to
the pain and humiliation that they are experiencing in their own land. He then
reminds them of the strength and pride they have in them, despite of the
suffering he urges them to remain unbent and must not this break them despite
the weight of their suffering.