1. African Literature
An introduction

2. Africa: Ancient Kingdoms
The cradle of life
Egypt
Eastern Africa
Western Africa
Literary Development and Devices
The cradle of life is where anthropologists found first modern humans.

3. In the Beginning……
Anthropologists believe that the first modern humans (homo sapiens) began in the northern regions of the African continent
Cradle of life (Neolithic, “new stone”)
Birthplace of human civilization (roughly 100,000 years ago)
Mesopotamia, Egypt, Asia Minor, etc. (Fertile Crescent)
Brought together through use of writing (technology)
African climate is varied in several regions: Desert, coastline, tropical rain forest, plains, and mountains.

4. Egypt (3000 B.C.-343 B.C.) First great civilization
Had a vibrant and strong empire that centered on a polytheistic society
Pantheon of gods and influence on the middle eastern religious perspective: Greek, Roman
Written language: Hieroglyphics

7. Kushite Kingdom Conquered and ruled Egypt around 1000 B.C.
Royal families traced lineage through female line
More women ruled here than any other ancient civilization
Other smaller civilizations popped up around Sahara
Fasa of southern Sudan

8. The Golden Age A.D. 300-1600 Sculpture, music, metal work and textiles
Literature plays a huge role in the creation and success of the empires
Oral epics
Praise poems
Fables
Proverbs
Dramas

9. Eastern African Empire: Aksum
Third century A.D., modern-day Ethiopia
Well-developed oral traditions
First great civilizations that created full and dominant cultural footholds in northern Africa
Center of trade routes from Rome all the way to India
Key to success was development of a specific and complex writing system
…Migration south and west due to drought

10. West African empires
Old Ghana: (A.D ) A strong and prosperous kingdom: Mainly traders of salt and gold
Old Mali: (A.D. 1235) Overtook Old Ghana for supremacy
Songhai: The last of the great kingdoms
Timbuktu: The marriage of Songhai and Old Mali empires: Hugely successful kingdom

12. Religious and cultural influences
Tribal origins are founded in a polytheistic and nature-based belief system
4th century A.D. Roman empire introduces Christianity
700 A.D. Islam introduced into the African continent
Islam becomes the recognized state religion of Mali in 1235

14. Literary Terms to Know in this Unit
Parallelism
Epithet
Apostrophe
Polytheism vs. Monotheism
Omniscient point-of-view
Legend
Oral epic
Griot
Refrain
Folk tale
Trickster
Personification
Proverb
Metaphor
Alliteration
Rhyme

15. Oral Tradition Dilemma tale Chain tale or Cumulative tale
Form of moral tale, ends with a question, invites audience to share judgment.
One tale deals with a man who died while hunting an ox to feed his three wives. The first wife learns through a dream what has happened to him, the second leads her fellow wives to the place where he died, and the third restores him to life. Which of the three most deserves his praise?
Chain tale or Cumulative tale
Formulaic story
Every incident that came before is repeated
The 12 days of Christmas
A single extended joke

16. Proverbs
a short, traditional saying that expresses some obvious truth or familiar experience
Used to convey accumulated cultural wisdom
Often use literary elements (metaphors, alliteration, parallelism, rhyme)
Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.