Riddle and Bash: African Performance and Literature ReviewsRiddles and Bash by novelist, poet and critic, Chin Ce, contains ten volumes of essays and book reviews published in journals of African writing in the last decade. In this second collection Ce reviews African oral traditions using the riddles and bash performances of his community as a hard, honest evaluation of modern Igbo music and culture showing how Western Christian materialism appears to have also corrupted African traditional and philosophical thoughts. The subsequent parts contain a look at new literatures and emerging tendencies in African writing, plus a chat on new Nigerian poetry and literary criticism. Ce argues that the continent is one in spite of different experiences in colonialism, nationalism and post-independent identities. And 'as we join the twenty-first century with the world becoming a global village, writers from Africa will need to preserve the heritage of their people and ensure that the healthy traditions and cultures of Africa are not lost in the march of civilisation.' |
Common terms and phrases
abegi abegi Achebe African literature African writing Alaa allophone ancient Anezi Okoro Apartheid Arrow of God audience bash session Chief Maduka CHIN CE Chinua Achebe Chinweizu Christian Chukwu civilisation colonial courage creative wit cultural dance Dika egwu Ekpili music entertainment Enugu epithets Etiowo experience expression fiction Flying Tortoise formula girls gulu Gwam Handel Books Hausa heritage history of Nigeria holy nweje human idea Igbo artistes Igbo Mind Igboland imagistic individual issues Kedu kon kon kpam kpum love my darling modern Modiba Morocco mother na-agba nation neighbour Nigerian poetry Nwannem Onye Opuliche Opuliche's Oral Poetry pattern performance perspective poems poets Polisi political problem proverbs Qumran racial religion religious riddle and bash role scholars singer social society South African Soyinka spiritual story symbolic theme Tortoise transferred epithets Unheard Narratives Western woman women Yoruba