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Introduction to African Literature

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1 Introduction to African Literature
Mrs. Joyce English II

2 Important Facts about the African continent
Second to Asia in size 12 million square miles Humans originated in Africa 1,000 languages are spoken by hundreds of ethnic groups 5,000 years ago, earliest civilization developed in Egypt

3 Religious Beliefs Hundreds of different religious systems. Polytheistic with a supreme god and lesser gods. Belief in ancestral spirits; souls of ancestral spirits spoke on their behalf Personal god (chi) controls a person’s destiny Christianity came to Ethiopia in 350 Islam came to northern Africa in

4 African Music Polyrhythmic- complex, interlocking rhythms by beating drums, striking bells, clapping hands, and stamping feet Call and response- chorus repeats a lead singer’s words in response

5 Masked Dances Events in agricultural year
Ceremonies marking rites of passage Rites of secret societies Curing the sick

6 Oral Literature The griot is a learned storyteller, poet, entertainer, historian They have been handing down their oral culture for over 4,000 years Griots accompany their stories with music It takes them years to learn the vast repertoire of traditional songs, melodies and rhythms

7 Transmission of the Stories
Use of mnemonic devices Refrains- repeated lines Repeat and vary- lines or phrases are repeated with slight variations Tonal assonance- tones in which syllables are spoken determine the meaning of words Call and response

8 Different Themes of Oral Tradition
Histories of ethnic and kingship devices Legends of cultural heroes Trickster stories Animal fables Proverbs and riddles Songs of praise for chiefs and kings

9 Chinua Achebe Born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe on Nov 16,1930 in a large village in Nigeria Child of a Protestant missionary Received early education in English Went to college and studied history and theology In college, he dropped Christian name for native name One of the founders of Nigerian literary movement that drew upon indigenous culture

10 Things Fall Apart Written in 1950’s but set in the 1890’s (just before colonization) A backlash to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness which represents African culture as primitive Uses simple sentences, imagery, and African proverbs and folktales

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