AFRICAN LITERATURE

Introduction

The term African Literature generally refers to a comprehensive, complex and creative
literature of and from Africa. Chinua Achebe doesn’t “see African literature as one unit but as a
group of associated units in fact the sum total of all national and ethnic literatures of Africa.”
Nadine Gordimer believes that “African writing done in any language by Africans themselves
and by others of whatever skin color … who share the African experience and who have Africa
centered consciousness”

A. People and Language: Africa has 300 distinct ethnic groups, 2000 language.
Home to the most genetically diverse people on Earth. So diverse that two
Africans are more genetically different from each other than a Chinese and
European are from each other. African literature may be classified into three
distinctly and widely accepted categories- traditional oral literature of Africa,
literature written in indigenous African languages and literature written in
European languages.

B. Religion and Education: Islam is the dominant religion of Northern Africa. It

replaced Christianity in the 17th century. Literary rates for men are higher than
women. Urban education are higher than rural education. Richest countries
incest more than poorest countries in terms of education.

C. Characteristics/Qualities of African Literature: It consists of a body of work in

different languages and various genres, ranging from oral literature to literature
written in colonial languages (French, Portuguese, and English).

Oral literature, including stories, dramas, riddles, histories, myths, songs,

proverbs, and other expressions, is frequently employed to educate and entertain
children. Oral histories, myths, and proverbs additionally serve to remind whole
communities of their ancestors' heroic deeds, their past, and the precedents for
their customs and traditions. Essential to oral literature is a concern for
presentation and oratory. Folktale tellers use call-response techniques. A griot
(praise singer) will accompany a narrative with music.

The weaving of music into the Kenyan's play points out another
characteristic of African literature. Many writers incorporate other arts into their
work and often weave oral conventions into their writing.

D. African Writers and their Works

 Pio Zirimu-Ugandan Scholar

 Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford – published the 1st African novel written in
English which is entitled “Ethiopia Unbound”
 Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo- published 1st English-language African play
entitled “The girl who liked to save”
 Ngugi Wa Thiong’o- most important east African novelist
-wrote 1st east African drama entitled “Black
Hermit”
-1st two novels are “Weep Not”, “Child and the
River Between”
 Chinua Achebe- received significant worldwide critical acclaim for his
piece “Things Fall Apart”.
-a co-editor of Okike (Africa’s most influential
literary magazine)
-other works are: “The Arrow of God”, “A Man of
the People”, “Girls at War”, “Christmas in Biafra”,
etc.
  Leopoid Sedar Senghor- President of Senegal Published the 1st anthology
of French language Poetry which is “Anthology of the New Black and
Malagasy Poetry in the French Language”
 Wole Soyinka- 1st African writer who won novel prize for literature in 1986
 Nadine Gordimer- 2nd African winner of the novel prize in 1991. The plays
he wrote were “The swamp dwellers”, “Death and King’s Horse Man”,
Opera Wonyosi”, and “Play of Giants”.
 John Pepper Clark- poet, dramatist, and literary critic. His plays are “Ozidi
and Song of Goat” and poetry “A Devade of Tongues”.

E. Other African Poetry

 EPIC OF SUNDIATA – Composed in medieval Mali
 EPIC OF DINGA – From Old Ghana empire
 KEBRA NAGAST OR THE BOOK OF KINGS – The best known work in this
tradition
 TRICKSTER STORY – One of the popular form of traditional African folktale
 TWIST AND TURNS - a tale of an African Intellectual by Jonathan Tim
Nshing
 THE DISILLUSIONED AFRICAN- written by Francis B. Nyamnjoh
 DESERTION, PARADISE, ADMIRING SILENCE- written by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Sources:
https://www.slideshare.net/sharaanacay/african-literature-ppt
https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/arts/world-lit/misc/african-literature
https://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/arts/world-lit/misc/african-literature
https://guides.library.duq.edu/africa-through-literature
http://greenstone.lecames.org/collect/revu/index/assoc/HASH014e/57c39db3.dir/B-008-01-329-
335.pdf
https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/97658/5/05_chapter%201.pdf
https://www.slideshare.net/sharaanacay/african-literature-ppt

CHINESE LITERATURE

Introduction

Chinese literature remains a hidden seam in the rich strata of Chinese culture. As a
matter of fact, it is a treasure of a very considerable number of brilliant and profound works as
each dynasty, in the long history of China, has passed down its legacy of magnificent events
and works. For 3500 years, the Chinese have woven a variety of genres and forms encompassing
poetry, essays, fiction and drama; each in its own way reflecting the social climate of its day
through the high spirit of art. Chinese literature has its own values and tastes, its own reigning
cultural tradition and its own critical system of theory.

A. People and Language: Africa has 300 distinct ethnic groups, 2000 language.
Home to the most genetically diverse people on Earth. So diverse that two
Africans are more genetically different from each other than a Chinese and
European are from each other. African literature may be classified into three
distinctly and widely accepted categories- traditional oral literature of Africa,
literature written in indigenous African languages and literature written in
European languages.

B. Religion and Education: The religions and beliefs of Chinese people are Islam over
22 million, Catholicism is 4 million and Protestant over 10 million. There are also
Atheist who doesn’t believe in God. Confucianism - an ethical teaching founded
by Confucius. Most of the literature prior to the 20th century was written or
 collected by officials who were part of the imperial system or by men educated
as a part of this system.

C. Characteristics/Qualities of Chinese Literature: the body of works written in

Chinese, including lyric poetry, historical and didactic writing, drama, and various
forms of fiction.
Through cultural contacts, Chinese literature has profoundly influenced the
literary traditions of other Asian countries, particularly Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
Not only was the Chinese script adopted for the written language in these
countries, but some writers adopted the Chinese language as their chief literary
medium, at least before the 20th century.
D. Writers and their Works:

E.
Sources: https://www.slideshare.net/geumjen2/the-literature-of-china
https://www.slideshare.net/sharaanacay/chinese-literature-ppt
https://www.academia.edu/14873239/Afro_Asian_Literature
https://www.britannica.com/art/Chinese-literature