african literature

LITTERATURE AFRICAINE/AFRICAN LITERATURE





Courtesy: Heinemann.co.uk














Do you know African literature ?


African Literatures
(By R. Luzolo Mbemba)


African literature is very little
or not known at all to the American
people. It is, however, very rich. It is

an enormous pleasure to talk a little
bit about it, especially francophone
Africa.


As we know it, African literature may
be divided in:
1. African literature written
by Westerners in western
languages
2. African literatures written
by African in western
languages
3. African literatures
written by Africans in
African languages
4. African Oral traditions







1. African literature written by Westerners

This is the literature we all know. It talks about Africa as seen by Westerners. It
often shows the negative images of Africa or the Africans. Its authors are usually non-
Africans who have lived or spent some time visiting Africa. They have written their view
points in any issues that caught their attention.

2. African literature
written by Africans in
Western languages.




African authors in
this group are mostly
those that received a
traditional African
education, and then, later,
a western or colonial
education. The waves of
this literature started
during pre- or post
independence wars of
Africa. This period is
made possible by the
“l’Eveil Africain”
(African awakening)
movement. It is a period

during which Africans
came to understand that
Western nations should
not continue to govern
them (at least politically).
During that period,
“l’Eveil Africain”
manifested itself with
students like Leopold Sedar Senghor (of Senegal), Aime Cesaire (of Martinique) and Leon
Damas (of French Guyana) with their “La Negritude” philosophy. Many more authors
followed the”eveil”. We note authors like Camara Laye, Ousmane Soce, Bernard Dadie,
Ousmane Sembene, V.Y. Mudimbe, Ake Loba, Cheick Hamidou Kane, Olympe Bhely-
Quenum, Ferdinand Oyono, Tchicaya U’Tamsi, Mongo Beti, Birago Diop and Zamenga
Batukezanga.













Leopold Sedar Senghor
(Photo: courtesy: www.jeriko.fr)

Also in this group, we note
African literature in Portuguese by
authors such as Agostino Neto (First
Angolan President), Pepetela, Jose
Craveirinha, Luis Honwana, Jose
Luandino Vieira from Angola. Also, this
lusophone literature counts authors like
Baltasar Lopes of Cape Verde.




African literature is also present
in the English language with many
authors like Wole Soyinka, Cyprian
Ekwensi, Chinua Achebe, Amos Tutuola,
Gabriel Okara, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Flora
Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta. We knowledge
major contributions from authors like
Grace Ogot, Okot P’Bitek, Nruddin
Farah, Ngugi wa Thiong’O etc… We note the Southern African Region with the presence
of authors like Alex LaGuma, Dennis Brutus, Matsemela Manaka, Sipho Sepamla,
Thomas Mfolo and so on.


3.
African literature written in African languages by African authors.

African authors like Ngugi wa Thiong’O, Thomas Mfolo, Fagunwa, Mazisi
Kunene, Ousmane Sembene, Cheikh Anta Diop have long encouraged African literatures
in African languages. That is why we have texts in languages like Wolof, Swahili, Lingala,
Kikongo, Hausa, Sesuto, Xhosa, Zulu, Umbundu, Kikuyu and many others. African
literature in African languages will certainly help Africa in its development.














Photo courtesy: www.bookworld.cz



4. African Oral literature or African Oral tradition

This is the true African literature. Here, every African is a contributor in his/her
native or national language. Griots sing music, sculptors sculpt, painters paint and the
elderlies store every bit of their traditions through this oral literature. Every African born
on the African land has benefited of these oral traditions. African oral tradition is usually
presented in stories, myths, songs and the like. It is in oral traditions that African elderlies

play the roles of libraries, libraries of knowledge, wisdom, traditions and cultures.











God’s Bits of Wood
(Ousmane Sembene)



(Photo courtesy: www.English.und.ac.za)



Ousmane Sembene


(Photo courtesy: Newyorkfilms.com)

Writer, author, film-maker and director, Ousmane Sembene was born in 1923 in Senegal.
He is a self-taught and hard worker. So young, he started working as a fisherman. He then
moved to Dakar during World War II and was drafted into the French army. He went to
Italy and Germany. After the war, he returned to Senegal. He liked politics and literature

that he went back to France where he found a job as a docker in the Port city of Marseille.
He went to become the leader of the dockers’union. He has also studied cinema at the
Moscow Film School. Sembene is an advocate of African literatures in African languages.



God’s Bits of Wood
(of Ousmane Sembene)

Sembene talks about the discontentment of the railroad workers of the Bamako Dakar
railroad. The indigenous people manifest it in form of strike. They are claiming a better
treatment, better wages because they are the ones who do the job. They feel neglected and
poorly paid by their white (French) employers.


God’s Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembene: Chapter One


Download and Chapter One of God’s Bit of Wood from the Francophone Identities
website. Read it carefully and answer the following questions.


Reading Comprehension

1. What is this story about and where is it happening?
2. What is the name of the governor’s residence?
3. How did the youth behave in the era of Old lady Niakoro?
4. What is she complaining about nowadays?
5. Who does she (Niakoro) call slaves? Why?
6. How did Old lady Niakoro react when Ad’jibid’ji addressed her with “alors”?

7. What was the reaction of Assitan, Ad’jibid’ji’s mother when she learned her
daughter used the word “alors”?
8. Tiemoko had interrupted Mamadou Keita, the Elder. What did he say then?
9. Who is Diara?









Additional information on African literature from following sites:
www.cec-ong/Mediatheque
www.litaf.cean.org
www.smallpanda.com
www.lexpress.mu

For more on “God’s Bits of Wood” visit:
/>
www.english.und.ac.za/English1B/who.htm


For additional photos of Ousmane Sembene, please visit:

Ferdinand Oyono

Courtesy: Biblithecagodella
Ferdinand Leopold Oyono is born in N’Goulemakong near Ebolowa, in Cameroon in 1929.
He started his elementary school in 1939. Later he works as a houseboy with some
missionaries in order to help his mother. He obtains his elementary school certificate.
This brings a lot of joys to his father who learns the news in a newspaper. He is admitted

at Ebolowa High school and then went on to continue his studies in France at the “Lycee
de Provins” where he graduated in 1950. He goes to Paris to pursue studies at the school
of law and at “l’Ecole Nationale d’Administration”. During that time, he uses his free
leisure time to write. He writes his first novel “House Boy” and, a second one which
appears one month later: The Old Man and the Medal. He continues to write until he
prepares himself for a law career and plays a bit of theater for “l’Alliance francaise”. He
returnes to his native Cameroon where he is appointed to head the “Bureau d’Etudes” in
Yaounde. He will become delegate to the United Nations and continued his diplomatic
career. Like Senghor and Birago Diop, Ferdinand Oyono is also a politician.




Road To Europe
(Ferdinand Oyono)

Courtesy: Agencetropiques
Road to Europe is a narrative about an African, Barnabas, who understands the rules of the
game in a colonial society and decides to apply them. He decides to become somebody
by playing the same rules of the game. He becomes victim. Toundi and Meka refrain from
following his example. They decide not to play the game because of their pride. In the end,
Barnabas looses contact with Europeans and his African compatriots as well. Road to
Europe shows us the nature of this corrupted mentality.


Reading comprehension on “Road to Europe”: Chapter One
Download and Chapter One of Road to Europe from the Francophone Identities website.
Read it carefully and answer the following questions.

1. What country does Ferdinand Oyono come from?

2. Why does he have a disdain against his father?
3. Explain, in few sentences the importance of working with missionaries during that
time.
4. What is the author’s attitude toward Catholic missionaries? Why?
5. Describe Oyono’s relation with his father.
6. Why was Oyono dismissed from seminary?
7. What image does the society have of him?
8. What is the only thing that seems to free him from humiliation?
9. Do you believe Administration, the biggest employer of the country, would have
employed him? Why?
10. Why is Oyono turning to private sector for employment?