The Languages and Literatures of AfricaExpanded and updated from the earlier French edition Litteratures d'Afrique noir (1995), African literatures are presented in a new perspective focusing on the dialogue between languages and literatures. An historical overview provides new insights into the literatures of Africa, both oral and written: orality is not always traditional, manuscripts are read aloud, and books have often been written in local languages, as well as in colonial languages. This book examines the dialogue between literatures written in different languages: Thomas Mofolo wrote in Sesotho and Sol Plaatje wrote in English but their novels Chaka (1926) and Mhudi (1931), should be read in counterpoint. The same could be said of Senghor and Soyinka, involved in a conversation on Africa's future that lasted for several decades. Many African writers write in several languages: from Okot p'Bitek (Acoli-English) to Ngugi wa Thiong'o (English-Gikuyu), and from Amadou Hampate Ba (Fula-French) to Alexis Kagame (French-Kinyarwanda). Focusingon linguistic consciousness and the place of language in the writer's consciousness, this book provides an original and comprehensive treatment of the African literary situation. |
Contents
Understanding Noun Classes | 8 |
the Triple Heritage | 15 |
Tradition Orality | 22 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
Achebe Acoli African languages African literature African poetry Amadou Hampâté Bâ Amharic Anglophone Arabic Bantu century characters Christian Christopher Okigbo collection colonial Couchoro create critical culture dialect Diop discourse dramatic English Ethiopian European languages expression Félix Couchoro fiction Francophone French Fula Ge'ez genre Gikuyu griot Hampâté Bâ Hausa hero Hubert Ogunde Ibadan Igbo intellectual Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo Kagame Kenyatta Kiswahili L.S. Senghor Lawino linguistic consciousness literary Malagasy Mandinka métissage missionary Mofolo Mongo Beti mother tongue narrative Ngugi Nigerian Niyi Osundare novel novelist oeuvre Ogunde Okigbo Okot p'Bitek oral literature original Osundare play poems poet poetic political problem production prose published question Rabearivelo reader rhythm Shona situation social songs Sony Labou South Africa speak speech stage Sundiata Swahili Tchicaya texts theatre tradition translated Tutuola village voice Wole Soyinka words writing written Xhosa Yoruba Zulu