African literature, the body of traditional oral and written literatures in Afro-Asiatic and African languages together with works written by Africans in European languages. … Works written in European languages date primarily from the 20th century onward.
What are the features of traditional African literature?
Characteristics of African literature include slave narratives, protests against colonization, calls for independence, African pride, hope for the future, and dissent.
What is African literature examples?
African Literature Books
- Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1) Chinua Achebe. …
- Half of a Yellow Sun (Hardcover) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. …
- Americanah (Hardcover) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. …
- Purple Hibiscus (Paperback) …
- Homegoing (Hardcover) …
- The Thing Around Your Neck (Hardcover) …
- Disgrace (Paperback) …
- So Long a Letter (Paperback)
What is the importance of African literature?
African literature is not important only because of its relevant setting and relatable storylines. It also increases our social consciousness, and raises awareness of social, political, and economic crises that the African continent is facing.
What are the five major themes of African literature?
THEMES OF COLONIALISM, LIBERATION, NATIONALISM, TRADITION, DISPLACEMENT AND ROOTLESSNESS IN AFRICAN LITERATURE This paper deals with some of the themes in African literature such as colonialism, liberation, nationalism, tradition, displacement and rootlessness.
Who is the father of African literature?
Chinua Achebe, the Nigerian novelist seen by millions as the father of African literature, has died at the age of 82.
What makes African literature unique?
Language of the African novel is highly enriched with some aspects of oral literature such as songs, proverbs and narratives. The other aspect which makes African novel unique from other novels is characterization. In the novel, characterization is achieved by reporting the thoughts of the characters.
Who are the famous writers in African literature?
The Top 10 Contemporary African Writers You Should Know
- Chinua Achebe. One of the world’s most widely recognized and praised writers, Chinua Achebe wrote some of the most extraordinary works of the 20th century. …
- Ayi Kwei Armah. …
- Aminatta Forna. …
- Nadine Gordimer. …
- Alain Mabanckou. …
- Ben Okri.
Who is the best writer in Nigeria?
From Achebe To Adichie: Top Ten Nigerian Authors
- Chinua Achebe. Chinua Achebe is one of the most internationally-acclaimed writers from Africa, and his death in 2013 saw an outpouring of tributes from across the globe. …
- Wole Soyinka. …
- Femi Osofisan. …
- Ben Okri. …
- Buchi Emecheta. …
- Sefi Atta. …
- Helon Habila. …
- Teju Cole.
Why do African writers write in English?
English and other colonial languages have come and stayed in Africa; African writers must continue to write with them since they are lingua franca in the mix of multiple African languages: one linguistic group is unable to understand the language of another group.
How will you describe African literature?
African literature, the body of traditional oral and written literatures in Afro-Asiatic and African languages together with works written by Africans in European languages. … Works written in European languages date primarily from the 20th century onward.
What is the importance of the literature?
Literature allows a person to step back in time and learn about life on Earth from the ones who walked before us. We can gather a better understanding of culture and have a greater appreciation of them. We learn through the ways history is recorded, in the forms of manuscripts and through speech itself.
What are the different kinds of African literature?
There are 4 different types of African Literature: Oral Literature, Precolonial African Literature, Colonial African Literature, and Postcolonial Literature.
What are the major themes of African poetry?
A functional art, African poetry in its oral and written forms has addressed a variety of themes, including worldview, mysticism, values, religion, nature, negritude, personal relationships, anticolonialism, pan-Africanism, neocolonialism, urbanism, migration, exile, the African diaspora, and patriarchy, as well as …
What is the theme of the poem Africa?
The poem describes the oppression of the African people through slavery. When Europeans arrived in Africa, Africans were killed, enslaved, and forced to adopt new religious beliefs and ways of life. Women were raped and bore slavemasters’ children, losing the right to govern their own bodies.
Does African literature exist?
African Literature Doesn’t Exist. … By “African literature,” I refer not to the body of written and oral texts produced by storytellers on and from the continent—but rather, to the category.