21st Century Literature from the

Philippines and the World

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21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
Quarter 2 – Module 10: Literary Genres and their Elements, Structures and
Traditions from Africa
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education - Schools Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Self-Learning Module

Writer: Rexie A. De Guzman
Editor: Lina O. Bona
Technical Reviewer: Rowena D. Roxas
Illustrator: Edison P. Clet

Management Team: Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin

OIC-Schools Division Superintendent
Carolina T. Rivera, CESE
OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Manuel A. Laguerta EdD
Chief Curriculum Implementation Division
Victor M. Javena, EdD
Chief - School Governance and Operations Division

Education Program Supervisors

Librada L. Agon,EdD(EPP/TLE/TVL/TVE)
Liza A. Alvarez(Science/STEM/SSP)
Bernard R. Balitao(AP/HUMSS)
Joselito E. Calios (English/SPFL/GAS)
Norlyn D. Conde, EdD(MAPEH/SPA/SPS/HOPE/A&D/Sports)
Wilma Q. Del Rosario (LRMS/ADM)
Ma. Teresita E. Herrera,EdD(Filipino/GAS/Piling Larang)
Perlita M. Ignacio,PhD(EsP)
Dulce O. Santos,PhD(Kindergarten/MTB-MLE)
Teresita P. Tagulao, EdD(Mathematics/ABM)

Printed in the Philippines by Department of Education – Schools Division of

Pasig City

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 21st Century Literature from the
Philippines and the World

Quarter 2
Self-Learning Module10
Literary Genres and their Elements, Structure
and Traditions from Africa

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Introductory Message

For the Facilitator:

Welcome to the (21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World)
Self-Learning Module 10 on (Literary Genres and their Elements, Structures and
Traditions from Africa!)

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and

reviewed by educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its
Officer-in-Charge Schools Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A.
Agustin, in partnership with the City Government of Pasig through its mayor,
Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N.Sotto.The writers utilized the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC)in
developing this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and

independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims
to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills especially the 5 Cs, namely:
Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Character while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them
to manage their own learning. Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist
the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

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 For the Learner:

Welcome to (21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World) Self-
Learning Module 10 on (Literary Genres and their Elements, Structures and
Traditions from Africa!)

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You
will be enabled to process the contents of the learning material while being an
active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations–This points to the set of knowledge and skills

that you will learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge aboutthe lesson

at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts

and skills that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson- This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up- This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing- This partintegrates a desirable moral value in the

lesson.

Posttest - This measure how much you have learned from the
entire module.

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 EXPECTATIONS

This is your self-instructional learner module in 21 st Century Literature from

the Philippines and the World. All activities provided in this lesson will help you
learn and understand: Literay genres and their elements, structures and traditions
from Africa.

Specifically, you will learn about the following:

1. compare and contrast the literary genres and their elements, structures,
traditions from Africa; and
2. write a close analysis and critical interpretation of poem.

PRETEST

Fill in the blanks to complete the following sentences. Choose the best
answer in the box below.

1. Poetry, drama, novel and short story flourished as the ____________________.

2. The texts for the study of ____________________ shed light in controversial
issues such as racial discrimination, apartheid, political conflicts, civil wars,
feminism and gender sensitivity and human rights issues.
3. Oral Literature, is also called as ____________________, have flourished in
Africa for many centuries and take a variety of forms including folk tales,
myths, epics, funeral dirges, praise poems and proverbs.
4. ____________________ often recount the heroic exploits of ancestors.
5. ____________________ are short, witty or ironic statements, metaphorical in its
formulation which aim to communicate a response to a particular situation,
to offer advice, or to be persuasive.

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 RECAP

In your previous lesson, you have learned the hybrid forms in 21 st Century Latin
American literature. Draw a line from column A to column B to match the letter of
the correct answer.

Column A ColumnB

1. This is known as A. Blog-afrorismos

animated poems. B. Anipoema
2. A statement of general C. Poemita
truth with extreme D. Hypertext Short
brevity posted Fiction
on online platforms. E. Twitter Poetry
3. These are short F. Microrrelators
not exceeding a page.
4. This is explicitly marked
by the use of only
140 characters.
5. These are literally
short poems.

LESSON

Today, we are going to identify and discuss about literary genres and their
elements, structures and traditions from Africa.

The most notable literary selections are those that capture the life and
struggle of the African people. There have been significant struggles that could have
been left untouched, but writers choose to face courageous task of answering the
call of pen, and begin the process of social healing through literature. Perhaps, it is

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this brilliant characteristic of African literature that enables it to shine and fulfill
one universal function of literature.

The literary tradition of Africa became richer than ever as it gained artistic
and sophisticated expression in different languages. Traditional languages became
vehicles of cultural thoughts. Poetry, drama, novel and short story flourished as the
literary genres. The people’s struggle to cope their homelands was dramatically
recorder in what is known as African literature.

Literature represents the breadth and depth of universal experiences of man.

The texts for the study of African literature shed light in controversial issues such
as racial discrimination, apartheid, political conflicts, civil wars, feminism and
gender sensitivity and human rights issues. These have given the selections the
flavor of relevance and universality, which are outstanding themes of a meaningful
literary study.

Literary Forms

Oral Literature, is also called as “orature”, have flourished in Africa for

many centuries and take a variety of forms including folk tales, myths, epics,
funeral dirges, praise poems and proverbs.

1. Myths usually explain the interrelationships of all things that exist,

and provide for the group and its members a necessary sense of their
place in relation to their environment and the forces that order events
on earth.
2. Epics are elaborate literary forms, usually performed only by experts
on special occasion. They often recount the heroic exploits of
ancestors.
3. Proverbs are short, witty or ironic statements, metaphorical in its
formulation which aim to communicate a response to a particular
situation, to offer advice, or to be persuasive.

Written Literature, includes novels, plays, poems, hymns and tales in the
1950’s and 60’s has been described as literatures of testimony. The African authors
who produced literatures in European language have been described as literatures
of revolt. These texts moved away from the project of recuperating and
reconstructing an African past and focus on responding to, and revolting against,

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colonialism and corruption. These literatures are more concerned with the present
realities of African life, and often represent the past negatively.

Africa My Africa

By David Diop

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral Savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
Africa, tell me Africa
Is this your back that is unbent
This back that never breaks under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying no to the whip under the midday sun?
But a grave voice answers me
Impetuous child that tree, young and strong
That tree over there
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.

This poem is written by David Diop. He was born in France in 1927. His
father was from Senegal and his mother is from Cameroon and he grew up in

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France and West Africa aware of both cultures and traditions. He was deeply
concerned by the question of independence form colonial rule.

There are evidences of torture and exploitation in the poem due to the fact
that the poet expresses how the sweat of Africans was lost in vain. All this was at a
time when Africans were turned into slaves and worked for their masters without
any benefit. Oppression and humiliation were common practices in colonial time.
They were used to force African words for colonizers without objection. This has left
scars to Africa that we still depend on them even they seem to mistreat us. The
poet however seems to be aware of his identity as African. Although he grew up in
France, he showed that black blood flows in his veins, which is to say he is still an
African regardless of where he grew up.

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1

Answer the questions below:

1. What is the poem about?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. What does the symbol “that tree young and strong” suggest?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the message of the poem?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2

Answer the questions below:

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 1. From your readings and observations, is the collective fate of the African
people changing for the better? Explain.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. In what way was the situation of the Filipino some decades ago similar to
that of the African people described in the poem? Is the situation of the
average Filipino still the same today?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. If the situation of the Filipino is still the same today, how can you help
change it?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Activity 3

Identify each line with its thematic analysis. Write the letters in the box
below.

a. That is Africa your Africa

b. I have never known you
c. This back that breaks under the weight if humiliation
d. This back trembling with red scars
e. But your blood flows in my veins
f. Impetuous son that tree young and strong
g. That grows again patiently obstinately
h. The slavery of your children
i. And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun
j. In splendid loneliness and amidst white and faded flowers

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 WRAP-UP

Complete the following statements below:

I learned _________________________________________________________________.

I realized that ____________________________________________________________.

I want to share this with my ______________________________________________.

VALUING

Let’s ponder on this quote. Relate this to the lesson and make a self-
realization.

“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.”

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

POSTTEST

Write True if the statement is correct and False if the statement is wrong.

____________1. The African authors who produced literatures in European

language have been described as literatures of revolt.

____________2. Myth is usually explaining the interrelationships of all things

that exist.

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____________3. In the 1930’s, black intellectuals from French colonies living
in Paris initiated a literary movement.

____________4. Written literature has flourished in Africa for many centuries

and take a variety of forms including folk tales, myths, epics, funeral dirges,
praise poems and proverbs.

____________5. Proverbs are elaborate literary forms, usually performed only

by experts on special occasion. They often recount the heroic exploits of
ancestors.

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 KEY TOCORRECTION

References

Analysis of the poem http://samwiterson.blogspot.com/2018/05/analysis-of-

poem-africa-david-diop-by_15.html (accessed August 20, 2020)

African History.https://www.slideshare.net/BemarPaltingca/brief-history-of-africa-
background-of-african-literature?fbclid=IwAR1Euiap3JBiV-
CwZn1TUxsnNFY3furHvdmc5QDqHbxjnJ__qQHyV5JLq2g (accessed September 2,
2020)

African Literature. https://www.slideshare.net/chrstnbby/african-lit-

45943661?fbclid=IwAR1FsUXVqcwWcCBXBZzcFV-URTb45HB6extTcGjz-
lKGHiwRPvlNhVhxbNA (accessed September 2, 2020)

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