history and characteristics of African literature
Summary
TLDRThis script explores the complexities of defining African literature, with its rich history dating back to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and blending with Arabic and European influences. It discusses the impact of colonization and the African Diaspora on literary themes, highlighting the emergence of written literature in the 19th and 20th centuries. The script emphasizes the broad scope of African literature, its roots in oral tradition, and its evolution into various forms, including slave narratives and protest literature, with a focus on the works of authors like Chinua Achebe.
Takeaways
- 🌏 The concept of 'being European' or 'African' is complex due to the diversity within these continents, including different countries, cultures, and histories.
- 📚 Defining African literature is challenging because of the vast number of nations and languages, with opinions varying on whether it should be written in African languages or any language by African authors.
- 📜 African literature has ancient roots, tracing back to Egyptian hieroglyphs and Arabic poetry, which influenced the development of a unique literary form.
- 🌐 The blending of African, Arabic, and European cultures contributed to the rich tapestry of African literature.
- 🏰 Colonization had a profound impact on African literature, with themes of exploitation, slavery, and the African Diaspora being central to many works.
- 📖 The development of written literature in sub-Saharan Africa was influenced by missionaries who established language schools and translated religious texts.
- 📚 Post-1950s African literature gained global recognition, with works like 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe becoming particularly influential.
- 🎭 African literature is characterized by its broad scope, being written in both English and African languages for diverse audiences.
- 🗣️ It has deep roots in oral tradition, with early writings often telling folktales and legends that carry cultural guidance and history.
- 📰 The medium of African literature expanded over time to include various forms such as newspapers, hymns, poetry, fiction, and autobiographies.
- ✍️ 20th-century African literature was marked by themes of protest, with authors like Othman sim ban Ola sinka and Chinua Achebe writing about the desire for independence and African pride.
Q & A
What is the significance of the question 'What does it mean to be human?' in the context of the script?
-The question 'What does it mean to be human?' is used to initiate a broader discussion on the shared human experiences and to transition into a more specific exploration of what it means to be European, highlighting the complexity of defining a collective identity.
Why is defining African literature considered complicated?
-Defining African literature is complicated due to the diversity of the continent, with 54 nations each having distinct histories, cultures, tribes, and traditions. There is debate over whether African literature should only be composed in African languages or can also be in any language by authors from Africa.
What are the origins of African literature mentioned in the script?
-The origins of African literature date back thousands of years to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, which later influenced Arabic poetry and spread through Egypt and western Africa during various conquests.
How did colonization impact the themes of African literature?
-Colonization, which involved the exploitation of indigenous people and resources, led to themes of protest and calls for independence in African literature, reflecting the general feeling of African pride and hope for the future.
What is the African Diaspora, and how did it affect African literature?
-The African Diaspora refers to the forced spread of African people to Western countries due to slavery, which had a profound impact on African literature by influencing themes and the experiences of those displaced.
How did the arrival of missionaries contribute to the development of written literature in sub-Saharan Africa?
-Missionaries coming to Africa to build churches and language schools facilitated the development of written literature by translating religious texts, leading to Africans writing in both European and indigenous languages.
What are some of the prevalent forms of expression in African literature?
-African literature encompasses a wide range of expressions, including oral traditions, folktales, newspapers, hymns, romance, epic poetry, fictional narratives, plays, diaries, philosophy, biography, and autobiography.
Can you provide an example of a slave narrative in African literature?
-An example of a slave narrative is 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African,' published in 1789, which provided a vivid account of the slave trade.
What is the significance of the 1950s in the context of African literature?
-The 1950s marked a significant period for African literature, with the emergence of notable works that contributed to the understanding of African identity and the critique of colonialism, such as 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe.
What are some of the themes that dominate 20th-century African literature?
-Themes of protest against colonization and the call for independence dominate 20th-century African literature, with a focus on capturing and communicating African pride in their past and hope for the future.
Outlines
📜 Origins and Complexity of African Literature
This paragraph delves into the intricate nature of defining African literature, acknowledging the diversity of the continent's 54 nations with their unique histories, cultures, tribes, and traditions. It highlights the debate over whether African literature should be written in African languages or can be composed in any language by African authors. The script traces the roots of African literature back to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and Arabic poetry, and discusses the blending of African, Arabic, and European cultures to form a distinct literary tradition. The impact of colonization and the African Diaspora on literature is also explored, noting the spread of African people against their will to Western countries, which influenced the themes of African literature. The paragraph concludes by mentioning the development of written literature in sub-Saharan Africa during the 19th and early 20th centuries due to the influence of missionaries.
🌏 Characteristics and Themes of African Literature
The second paragraph focuses on the defining characteristics of African literature, emphasizing its broad scope of production in both English and African languages for diverse audiences. It outlines the various forms of expression, from oral tradition and folktales to newspapers, hymns, poetry, and autobiographies. The paragraph underscores the importance of folktales in passing on cultural history and providing guidance, particularly to children. It also touches on the use of literature as a medium for expressing views and capturing the spirit of African pride in the past and hope for the future. The slave narrative, exemplified by 'The Life and Adventures of Gustavus Vassa' published in 1789, is highlighted as a significant form that drew attention to the horrors of the slave trade. The paragraph concludes by discussing the themes of protest in 20th-century African literature, which called for independence and decried the effects of colonization, with notable authors like Othman sim ban Ola sinka and Chinua Achebe leading this literary movement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Human
💡European
💡African Literature
💡54 Nations
💡Oral Tradition
💡Colonization
💡African Diaspora
💡Indigenous Languages
💡Chinua Achebe
💡Slave Narrative
💡Protest Literature
Highlights
Defining African literature is complicated due to the diversity of 54 nations in Africa, each with their own history, culture, tribes, and traditions.
Some authors believe African literature can only be composed in African languages, while others argue it can be in any language as long as it's by African authors.
African literature has origins dating back thousands of years to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Arabic poetry spread in Egypt and western Africa due to the Arabic conquest and influenced African literature.
Colonization, which led to exploitation of indigenous people and resources, had a significant impact on the themes of African literature.
The African Diaspora, the forced spreading of African people around the world from the 16th to 19th centuries, is a key theme in African literature.
Sub-Saharan Africa developed written literature in the 19th and early 20th centuries due to missionaries who established language schools and translated religious texts.
African literature has a broad scope of production, being composed in both English for Western and African audiences and in African languages for African readers.
African literature has its roots in the oral tradition, sharing stories, advice, and history through talking and presenting.
Early African writing often tells folktales and legends passed down through a culture to provide guidance and pass on cultural history.
African writers began expressing themselves in newspapers to spread their views, expanding the forms of African literature.
African literature includes various forms of expression such as hymns, romance, epic poetry, fictional narrative, plays, diaries, philosophy, biography, and autobiography.
The slave narrative, such as 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Gustavus Vassa' published in 1789, was one of the first forms of African narrative to draw attention.
Themes of protest, decrying colonization and calling for independence, began to guide 20th-century African literature.
Notable 20th-century African writers like Othman Simban, Ola Sinba, and Chinua Achebe captured the general feeling of African pride in their past and hope for the future.
Understanding the complete development of African literature requires looking beyond the most recent works to its rich history.
Transcripts
[Music]
what does it mean to be human what are
the common experiences of all people
these may be large questions so let's be
more specific what does it mean to be
European any answer to this question
would have to ignore specifics for each
country a similar problem arises when
trying to define African literature
there are 54 nations which make up
Africa each of these separate countries
have their own history culture tribes
and traditions that being said there are
some commonality is shared by literature
which comes from the continent as a
whole defining African literature can be
complicated there are some authors who
believe African literature can only be
composed in African languages others
believe African literature can be
composed in any language so long as it
is composed by authors from Africa
in this vlog we'll narrow our focus to
the broader history and characteristics
of African literature in general African
literature has origins dating back
thousands of years to ancient Egyptian
hieroglyphs or writing which uses
pictures to represent words these
ancient Egyptian beginnings led to the
Arabic poetry which spread during the
Arabic conquest of Egypt in the 7th
century CE II and through western Africa
in the 9th century CE these African and
Arabic cultures continued to blend with
the European culture and literature to
form a unique literary form Africa
experienced several hardships in its
long history which left an impact on the
themes of its literature one hardship
which led to many others is that of
colonization colonization is when people
leave their country and settle in
another land often one which is already
inhabited the problem with colonization
is when the incoming people exploit the
indigenous people and the resources of
the inhabited land colonization led to
slavery millions of African people were
enslaved and brought to Western
countries around the world from the 16th
to the 19th centuries this spreading of
African people largely against their
will is called the African Diaspora
sub-saharan Africa developed a written
literature during the 19th and early
20th centuries this development came as
a result of missionaries coming to the
area
the missionaries came to Africa to build
churches and language schools in order
to translate religious texts this led to
Africans writing in both European and
indigenous languages
though African literature's history is
as long as it's rich most of the popular
works have come out since 1950s
especially the noteworthy things fall
apart by Chinua Achebe looking beyond
the most recent works is necessary to
understand the complete development of
this collection of literature now let's
take a look at some of the
characteristics of African literature
[Music]
literature from Africa has many
characteristics we will highlight some
of the most prevalent characteristics
here to begin let's look at African
literature's broad scope of production
this literature has been composed in
English for Western and African
audiences it is also composed in African
languages for African readers this
literature comes from all parts of
Africa both northern Africa and
sub-saharan from this general
perspective let's shift to the several
forms of expressions which African
literature has this literature like many
others has its roots in the oral
tradition or sharing stories advice and
history through talking and presenting
early African writing tends to tell
folktales or stories and legends passed
down through a culture these folktales
are meant to provide guidance and pass
on cultural history these stories are
for all members of the community but
especially for the children African
writers began to express themselves in
newspapers to spread their views African
literature then expanded to include
hymns romance epic poetry fictional
narrative
pistols Diaries philosophy biography and
autobiography
one particular form of African narrative
which may have been the first to draw a
stern attention for the first time was
composed by slaves an example of the
slave narrative is the interesting
narrative of the life and adventures of
Luud Ariano
or gustav vasa the African published in
1789 this narrative gave a vivid and
horrifying image of the slave trade
though it took many forms of expression
themes of protest began to guide 20th
century African literature the focus has
been dominated by writing which decries
colonization and calls for independence
such writers as Othman sim ban Ola sinka
and Chinua Achebe famously wrote during
this time they captured and communicated
the general feeling of African pride in
their past and the hope for the future
[Music]
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