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].