LITERATURE OF AFRICA & THE MIDDLE EAST

Preliminary Examinations
Batalla, Freya Ramille A.
3 – Literature
1. What is Negritude? Discuss what critics think about Negritude as a movement.
Negritude is a literary movement that started among French-speaking black writers, namely
Leopold Senghor, Aime Cesare, and Leon Damas, in Paris during the 1930s until the 1950s.
Inspired by the Harlem Renaissance in the United States, it is the assertion of their Black culture
and identity amidst an environment dominated by racial injustice and Western standards and
modes of thinking. It was their own way of rejecting the universal paradigm set by the Europeans
and promoting traditional Black values, consciousness, and cultural heritage. However, many
critics, such as Nigerian poet Wole Soyinka, were not convinced of the concept of Negritude and
revealed its flaws as an aesthetic practice. According to them, Negritude adopts stereotypes
against Black people and is derivative of European ideologies. Ultimately, as it tried to oppose
colonialist beliefs and traditions and advocate for pride in one’s Black ethnicity, it only served as
the antithesis of white supremacy. By patterning its structure after the style and characteristics of
a Western model, although different in nature, and situating itself in a position directly opposite
to the culture of the colonizers, it becomes dependent on the categories of European culture. It is
almost as if they are deliberately categorizing themselves as an “other”, establishing a strict
dichotomy between African and Western ideals. Moreover, critics claimed that the movement
was too romantic and too limiting, as it reduces the Black person to the color of their skin. As
Wole Soyinka have said, “a tiger does not proclaim his tigritude—he pounces.” In short, a tiger
is not concerned with letting people know that he is, in fact, a wild predator because his essence
emanates from him, and follows him wherever he goes.

2. Explain why social commitment is more important than form in African literature.
When we think of African literature, the notion of post-colonialism first comes into mind.
The themes commonly discussed in most African literary works consist of racial prejudice,
injustice, and poverty, among others. As a continent made up of third-world countries long
subjected to decades of colonialism and oppression, Africa is plagued by numerous social and
economic issues that stemmed from its history with Western colonizers and the destruction its
people suffered from their hands. Literature became an avenue for African writers to express
their sentiments and discontent over the current circumstances that their society is facing after
colonization. As literature became a reflection of their cultural values and traditions, it started to
present solutions and alternatives to modern-day problems and even shaped events related to
politics. Literature has a crucial role in Africa’s development, although not many people
acknowledge its significance. It is not enough to be progressive in terms of healthcare,
technology, and man-made structures, but the mind and spirit should be enriched as well. The
quality of life will not be completely enhanced unless one strives to improve both the physical
body and the intellect. To Africans, literature is a source of hope amidst adversity and powerful
tool in bringing about change that their society badly needs. It does not only provide
entertainment but also awakens people’s social consciousness. Thus, to prioritize form over
content in African literature, is to turn a blind eye to the people’s grievances and society’s
failures. With the issues of limited access, censorship, and illiteracy in many African countries, it
matters less the style, language, or medium used by writers, as long as the message accomplishes
its goal of being understood and appreciated by the masses. The main purpose of literature in
Africa in present times is not to look aesthetically pleasing but to reach the audience it is meant
for, influence and educate them of the truth, and, hopefully, transform their lives, and society in
general, for the better.

6. Discuss at least two themes present in Alex La Guma’s short story A Matter of Taste.
Two particular themes stand out in the short story “A Matter of Taste”: the issue of
racism and economic poverty. The narrator and Chinaboy are both poor, black man while Whitey
is in the same circumstances as them except for the fact that the color of his skin is white. During
the apartheid in South Africa, where people of color are segregated from their white
counterparts, many non-white citizens experienced prejudice as well as suffered from lack of
access to resources and job opportunities. The narrator and Chinaboy make a small living by
working for the railways, not enough to cover their bare minimum expenses. Their dinner only
consists of coffee in condensed-milk tins and it is a mystery whether they have a decent roof
over their heads. However, although black and other non-white people are mainly the victims of
privation and discrimination, the presence of Whitey proves that even white people can be
penniless and not be favored by the system. Whitey begged the two characters for coffee, which
means that he is relatively poorer than them and also less knowledgeable, since he often made
comments during their conversation that seem ignorant of how things work in real life. The
highlight of their conversation was when they were talking about the food that they would want
to eat in one of the big caffies in their area, and Whitey mistakenly said that their menu choices
are a matter of taste, to which Chinaboy argued that it is a matter of money, for no one in their
right mind would order poor people’s food if they had the chance to stuff themselves with
delicious but expensive dishes and delicacies. After finishing their dinner, the narrator and
Chinaboy helped Whitey hitchhike on a train on the way to Cape Town, where he plans land a
job on a ship and travel to America. While the narrator and Chinaboy seems more capable than
Whitey, because of their darker skin color and racial background, they are still less privileged
than the white man and, thus, have lesser chances of realizing their dreams of living a better life
in the States. Such is the unfortunate struggle experienced by black people living in South Africa
at that time.