AFRICAN LITERATURE

African Literature began in North Africa (Egyp), 2300 B.C.  When ancient Egyptians begin using burial text to acompany their dead, this included the first written acount of creation “Memphit Declaretion of Deities”.  African literatura is important in oral and written woks, because they provide useful knowledge, historical knowledge, ethnical wisdom. Oral culture has many formes such as proverbs and riddles, epic narratives, oration and personal testimony, praise poetry and songs, chants and rituals, storys, legends and folk tails.

During the period of colonisation African Literature came under a serious outside threat. It was until the 1920s and 1930s emerged from Paris, the “Negritude” movement established it selfs one of the first literary movements of its time. This started with the desire to stablish an identity that they were black and they have a history, wich values that could make an important contribution to the world. Leopold Sedar Senghor was one of the first thinkers of this movement, he later became president of Senegal creating a tradition of African writters and becoming active political figures. In 1948 African literatura became very important with Alan Paton with his work “Cry the Beloved County” and other African writter was Fraz Fanon who became famous in 1967 through a powerful analysis of racism in his work named “Black Skin, White Mask”.

After all this authors Chinua Achebe presents his native African Culture in his amaizing work “Things Fall Apart”. This is probably the most read work of African Literature every written, Achebe psycological insight combined with his deep realism make this novel classic. Achebe was the one who opened the door from many other African writters to attain international recognition.

 

Unc.edu (1930) African Literature. [online] Available at: http://www.unc.edu/~hhalpin/ThingsFallApart/literature.html [Accessed: 22 Mar 2013].
 

BIOGRAPHY ALBERT ACHEBE

Albert Chinualumogu Achebe,was born in Ogidi in Eastern Nigeria, in 1930. Was a novelist, poet and critic. He studied in the University College of Ibadan. He was an English professor at the University of Massachusetts and a literature professor at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka. One of the most famous African novels in English was Things Fall Apart which he wrote in 1958, this novel has been translated in to many languages and it recreates the traditional life in African villages, before the coming of modernity. It focuses mainly on the head strong Okonkwo who opposes with tragic consequences, to both the converted Christians as well as the British invasion.

He also wrote many other novels, such as, No Longer at Ease, Arrow of God, The African Trilogy and A Man of the People and others. As a literary and critic Achebe has always focus on the fact that an African novel most show social realities and avoid huge universality. He is known as the avocate by colonialist critics. In 1969 he went on a tour with Gabriel Okara and Cyprian Ekwensi, to help the Biafran cause. He also wrote a novel based on his reaction towards the Nigeria Civil War, this novel is known as Girls at War and other stories. After that he wrote some essays, two of his most contoversial are “The Novelist as Teacher´” and “An Image of Africa”. He wrote as well some children books one of them call Anthills of the Savannah. Achebe is also the editor of The Heinemann Book of Cotemporary African Short Stories.

En.wikipedia.org (1930) Chinua Achebe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinua_Achebe [Accessed: 22 Mar 2013].Bing.com (n.d.) ALBERT ACHEBE - Bing Afbeeldingen. [online] Available at: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ALBERT+ACHEBE&view=detail&id=3742E70DDA7BB522EF96DB0A0D45A00BBFA4CDAA [Accessed: 22 Mar 2013].

Literature in education and development

Why is literature important in education and development?

Literature is a way or a manner, to express your thoughts, feelings and emotions through written material.

Literature is what show us the culture and believes of a person, a country, a city or an ethnic group have had or have; this way we can understand better the way they think, or why they do the things they did.

Literature also depends on what century we are living in, because that will have a very important impact on what the authors or writers will think and express in their works.

There are many kinds of literature such as, Scientific Literature, Math Literature, etc., but the mainly, in my point of view, is poetry, drama, non-fiction, fiction, romance and tragedy.

The literature changes, in the way the world develops. This is because the human being is in constant change, and this affect the way they think and act against the world. Also because of the mistakes the human has made in the past, this way it help us not to commit them again. For example History Literature, helps us understand what had happened in the world during the past like World War I and World War II to avoid committing the same mistakes in the future and to have a better world.

Also a really important fact of literature is that it helps us to learn different cultures and to better understand why they act the way they do. We can learn about religion, politics, economy, of a different country and this will be very useful if we go to live or visit the country.

 

K-state.edu (n.d.) Untitled. [online] Available at: http://www.k-state.edu/womenscenter/Violencework%20Advocacy/Womens%20Center%20Materials/Materials/Images/Literature3.jpg [Accessed: 27 Feb 2013].