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African Literature
African literature isn't just the voices of African people during colonialism and the slave trade. It is much more than that. It covers the stories of African people before colonialism, during colonialism, and after colonialism (this is known as post-colonial literature).
African literature reflects the stories of people from hundreds of years ago and the people who live now. It is a hugely important part of the literary world as it brings underrepresented voices to the fore and allows them to re-tell their experiences of the world.
Characteristics
There are many defining characteristics of African literature and African books. Though there are differences between the literature of each country, the following characteristics are present in most books.
Language
African literature not only comes in the written form but also as oral literature. Before colonialism, Africans would tell their stories orally and through performance, sometimes using music as well. After colonialism, the African writers started to write in European languages such as English, Portuguese, and French. Their stories would share similar themes such as denouncing European colonization of the African countries, the greatness of their African past before the European countries invaded, and hope for independence in the future of Africa. African authors who wrote in European languages were many times accused of trying to cater for a western audience but the true reason behind their intentions was to portray their experience in a language that the oppressors could understand. 1
Historical influences
Another characteristic of African literature is the writers' focus on themes of freedom and independence, questions of identity and liberation. In the period between 1881 and 1914, known as the 'Scramble for Africa, numerous European powers took control of most of Africa. The only three countries untouched by the Europeans were the Dervish State, Liberia, and Ethiopia.
Types of African literature
The different types of African literature can be divided into four groups: Oral African literature Pre-colonial African literature Colonial African literature Post-colonial literature
These can further be divided into three periods of African literature: during African liberation, colonialism of Africa, and Africa after colonialism.
Oral African literature
►African oral literature was performative. Its themes were usually mythological and historical.
►Performance, tone, riddles, and proverbs were key components of oral African literature. These elements were manipulated by the orator to produce certain effects on their audience. ► The performer also often had visual aids during their performance. As the performer was usually face-to-face with the public, they were able to perform in specific ways by using mimicry, gestures, and expressions to produce an impact on their audience. They could also portray a certain image by dressing up as a specific character. ► Oral African literature was versatile and communal. Performers could at times even introduce pieces of their older stories into their new stories or create completely new content and structures in their stories.
Pre-colonial African literature
►Pre-colonial African literature is the literature written between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries and includes the Atlantic slave trade. ►These stories were based on the folklore of different regions in African countries.
For example, Sungura is a hare in folklore in East Africa and Central Africa. Often, these stories included mischievous animal characters such as Anansi, a spider found in the folklore of the Ashanti tribe in Ghana.
►It is important to understand that before colonial rule, African literature existed. Africans wrote in Africa as well as in the west and they also wrote in their native languages.
Colonial African literature
► Colonial African Literature was produced between the end of World War I and African independence (the date of which depends on the different countries, such as Ghana's 1957 independence from British control and Algeria's independence in 1962 from France). It contained themes of independence, liberation and négritude. Traditionally, Africans combine teaching in their art forms. For example, rather than writing or singing about beauty, African people use elements of beauty to portray crucial facts and information about African society.
Négritude : a movement starting in the 1930s led by African people in places controlled by the
French who were raising awareness of 'Black consciousness' and protesting against French colonisation. Aimé Césaire was the first to use the word 'Négritude' in his poem 'Cahier d'un retour au pays natal' (1939). Other key poets presenting Négritude in their poetry were Léon Damas in his Pigments (1937) and Sédar Senghor's in his Hosties noire (1948).
Post-colonial African Literature
► Writers in this period wrote in both western languages and African languages. The main themes that African authors explore in post-colonial African Literature are the relationship between modernity and tradition, the relationship between Africa's past and Africa's present, individuality and collectivism, the notion of foreignness and indigenous, capitalism and socialism, and what it means to be African. ► Writers who reflect these themes in their writing include Chinua Achebe in Arrow of God (1964) and Ngugi wa Thiong'o in Wizard of the Crow (2006). ► In the quote below from Purple Hibiscus (2003) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the author reflects on the relationship between Africa's past and present by showing how Kambili has been taught to see God as white. For her, God can't be her skin colour as the colour black isn't 'pure'
