African literature generally refers to the novels, short stories, and poetry written by African writers during the 20th century. Most of this output belongs to the broader class of postcolonial literature. The term "African literature" may also include the oral literary traditions of precolonial Africa. A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... This article is in need of attention. ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... Postcolonial literature is a branch of Postmodern literature concerned with the political and cultural independence of peoples formerly subjugated in colonial empires. ...

Precolonial African literature

Because literacy did not become widespread in Africa until the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 1800s, much of the precolonial African literary canon is oral. Oral literature (or orature), including songs, poems, and folk tales, was used to entertain children and to pass on histories through the generations . Storytellers in Africa sometimes used call-and-response techniques to tell their stories, while praise singers called "griots" would tell their stories with music. [1] African orature also includes myths and legends. Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1805 - 1815). ... Orature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken (oral) word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. ... This page is about the West African poets. ... For the computer game, see Myth (computer game). ... A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ...

Examples of pre-colonial african liturature include the Epic of Sundiata composed in midieval Mali, The older Epic of Dinga from the old Ghana Empire, and the Kebra Negast or book of kings from Ethiopia. One popular form of traditional African folktale is the "trickster" story, where a small animal uses its wits to survive encounters with larger creatures. Examples of animal tricksters include Anansi, a spider in the folklore of the Ashanti people of Ghana; Àjàpá, a tortoise in Yoruba folklore of Nigeria; and Sungura, a hare found in central and East African folklore. [2] Sundiata Keita or Sunjata Keita (c. ... Anansi is one of the most important gods of west African lore. ... Diversity 111 families, 40,000 species Suborders Mesothelae Mygalomorphae Araneomorphae  See table of families Closeup image of a Wolf Spider Wikispecies has information related to: Spiders Spiders are predatory invertebrate animals with two body segments, eight legs, no chewing mouth parts and no wings. ... Ashanti may mean: Ashanti Confederacy, a powerful state of ancient West Africa Ashanti, a region of Ghana Ashanti people, an ethnic group HMS Ashanti, the name of two Royal Navy warships Ashanti Gold, a gold mining company, now owned by AngloGold Ashanti is also the name of: Ashanti (born 1980... Genera Chersina Dipsochelys Furculachelys Geochelone Gopherus Homopus Indotestudo Kinixys Malacochersus Manouria Psammobates Pyxis Testudo A tortoise is a land-dwelling reptile of the order Testudines. ... The Yoruba (Yorùbá in Yoruba orthography) are a large ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in Africa; the majority of them speak the Yoruba language (ede Yorùbá). The Yoruba constitute approximately 30 percent of Nigerias total population[], and around 22 million individuals throughout the region of West... Species Many, see text Hares and jackrabbits belong to family Leporidae, and mostly in genus Lepus. ...

Colonial African literature

The African works best known in the West from the period of colonization and the slave trade are primarily slave narratives, such as Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Olaudah Equiano, also called Gustavus Vassa, the African (1789). Olaudah Equiano Olaudah Equiano (c. ... See also: 1788 in literature, other events of 1789, 1790 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

In the colonial period, Africans exposed to Western languages began to write in those tongues. In 1911, Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford (also known as Ekra-Agiman) of the Gold Coast (now Ghana) published what is probably the first African novel written in English, Ethiopia Unbound: Studies in Race Emancipation [3]. Although the work moves between fiction and political advocacy, its publication and positive reviews in the Western press mark a watershed moment in African literature. See also: 1910 in literature, other events of 1911, 1912 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

During this period, African plays began to emerge. Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo of South Africa published the first English-language African play , The Girl Who Killed to Save: Nongquase the Liberator in 1935. In 1962, Ngugi wa Thiong'o of Kenya wrote the first East African drama, The Black Hermit, a cautionary tale about "tribalism" (racism between African tribes). A play (noun) is a common literary form, usually consisting chiefly of dialog between characters, and usually intended for performance rather than reading. ... Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo (*1903 Siyamu/Pietermaritzburg (Natal), †1953 Durban) is one of the major founding figures of South African literature and perhaps the first prolific African creative writer in English. ... See also: 1934 in literature, other events of 1935, 1936 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1961 in literature, other events of 1962, 1963 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Ngũgĩ wa Thiongo signs copies of his new book Wizard of the Crow. In London at the Congress Centre in central London. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Manifestations Slavery · Racial profiling Hate speech · Hate crime Lynching · Gay bashing Genocide · Holocaust Ethnocide · Ethnic cleansing Pogrom · Race war Religious persecution Movements Discriminatory Aryanism · Neo-Nazism White/Black supremacy Hate groups · Kahanism Anti-discriminatory Abolitionism Womens/Universal suffrage Civil rights · Gay rights Childrens rights · Youth rights Groups NAACP...

African literature in the late colonial period (between the end of World War I and independence) increasingly showed themes of liberation, independence, and (among Africans in French-controlled territories) négritude. One of the leaders of the négritude movement, the poet and eventual President of Senegal Léopold Sédar Senghor, published the first anthology of French-language poetry written by Africans in 1948, Anthologie de la nouvelle poésie nègre et malgache de langue française (Anthology of the New Black and Malagasy Poetry in the French Language), featuring a preface by the French existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre. [4] Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz... Look up Liberation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Négritude is a literary and political movement developed in the 1930s by a group that included the future Senegalese President Léopold Sédar Senghor, Martinican poet Aimé Césaire, and Léon Damas. ... Léopold Sédar Senghor (October 9, 1906 – December 20, 2001) was a Senegalese poet and politician who served as the first president of Senegal (1960–1980). ... See also: 1947 in literature, other events of 1948, 1949 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Existentialism is a philosophical movement emphasizing individualism, individual freedom, and subjectivity. ... Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (June 21, 1905 – April 15, 1980), normally known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre (pronounced: ), was a French existentialist philosopher, dramatist and screenwriter, novelist and critic. ...

Postcolonial African literature

With liberation and increased literacy since most African nations gained their independence in the 1950s and 1960s, African literature has grown dramatically in quantity and in recognition, with numerous African works appearing in Western academic curricula and on "best of" lists compiled at the end of the 20th century. African writers in this period wrote both in Western languages (notably English, French, and Portuguese) and in traditional African languages. Literary themes in this period include the clash between traditional and Western cultures, social problems such as corruption, the economic disparities in newly independent countries, and the rights and roles of women. Female writers are much more common today in African literature than they were prior to independence. The 1950s was the decade spanning from the 1st of January, 1950 to the 31st of December, 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

In 1986, Wole Soyinka became the first African writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature. See also: 1985 in literature, other events of 1986, 1987 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Wole Soyinka (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. ... Nobel Prize medal. ...

Major African novels

• Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (Nigeria)
• Gracy Ukala, Dizzy Angel (Nigeria)
• Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa, The Forest of a Thousand Demons (Nigeria)
• Mariama Bâ, Une si longue lettre (So Long a Letter) (Senegal)
• Ousmane Sembène, Xala (Senegal)
• Ngugi wa Thiong'o, A Grain of Wheat (Kenya)
• Benjamin Sehene, Le Feu sous la Soutane (Fire under the Cassock) (Rwanda)
• Thomas Mofolo, Chaka (South Africa/Lesotho)
• Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions (Zimbabwe)
• Dambudzo Marechera, The House of Hunger (Zimbabwe/Rhodesia)
• Yvonne Vera, Butterfly Burning (Zimbabwe)
• Mia Couto, Terra Sonâmbula (A Sleepwalking Land) (Mozambique)
• Ayi Kwei Armah, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (Ghana)

Chinua Achebe (born November 16, 1930) is a Nigerian writer. ... Original cover art by Uche Okeke reproduced in a later edition. ... Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa MBE (1903 - 1963) was a Nigerian author who pioneered the Yorùbá language novel. ... Mariama Ba (1929-1981) was a Senegalese author and feminist, who wrote in French. ... So long a letter (translated from Une si longue lettre) is a novel originally written in French by the Senegalese writer Mariama Bâ. Its theme is the condition of women in African society. ... Ousmane Sembène (b. ... Xala is a 1975 Senegalese film directed by Ousmane Sembène. ... NgÅ©gÄ© wa Thiongo signs copies of his new book Wizard of the Crow. In London at the Congress Centre in central London. ... A Grain of Wheat is the third and best-known novel by Ngugi wa Thiongo, a novelist from Kenya. ... Benjamin Sehene Benjamin Sehene (b. ... Thomas Mokopu Mofolo (December 22, 1876- September 8, 1948) is considered to be the greatest Lesotho writer. ... Chaka is the most famous novel by the writer Thomas Mofolo of Lesotho. ... Tsitsi Dangarembga. ... Nervous Conditions is a novel by Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga. ... Dambudzo Marechera (1952-1987) was a Zimbabwean novelist and poet. ... The House of Hunger (1979) is a book by the late Dambudzo Marechera. ... National motto: Sit Nomine Digna (Latin: May she be worthy of the name) Official language English Capital Salisbury Political system Parliamentary system Form of government Constitutional monarchy (until 1970) Republic (March 2, 1970) - Last President John Wrathall - Prime Minister Ian Smith Area  - Total  - % water 390 580 km² 1% Population  - 1978... Dr. Yvonne Vera (September 19, 1964 - April 7, 2005) was an award-winning author from Zimbabwe. ... Mia Couto (born 5 July 1955, Beira, Mozambique), born António Emílio Leite Couto, is considered Mozambiques foremost novelist. ... Ayi Kwei Armah is a Ghanian writer. ... The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born is a novel by Ghanaian writer Ayi Kwei Armah. ...

Major African poets

• Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)
• Gracy Ukala (Nigeria)
• Wole Soyinka (Nigeria)
• Christopher Okigbo (Nigeria)
• Lenrie Peters (Gambia)
• Kofi Anyidoho (Ghana)
• Dennis Brutus (South Africa)

Chinua Achebe (born November 16, 1930) is a Nigerian writer. ... Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Wole Soyinka (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. ... Christopher Ifekandu Okigbo (1932-1967) was a Nigerian poet, who died fighting for the independence of Biafra. ... Lenrie Peters (b. ... Dennis Brutus, South African poet, graduate of Fort Hare college, formerly on the faculty of Northwestern University. ...

Secondary literature

• Encyclopedia of African literature, ed. by Simon Gikandi, London [etc.] : Routledge, 2003
• The Cambridge history of African and Caribbean literature, ed. by Abiola Irele and Simon Gikandi, 2 vls., Cambridge [u.a.] : Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004. Table of contents

See also

• List of African writers
• African cinema

African Writers: This is a list of literary figures from Africa, including poets, novelists, childrens writers, essayists, and scholars. ... The term African cinema usually refers to the film production in countries south of the Sahara since they gained formal independence, which for many countries happened in the 1960s. ...

External links

• African Languages and Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
• African Literature Association
• The 100 best African books of the 20th century
• Research in African literature and Culture