21ST CENTURY LITERATURE (2ND QRT)
Mindanao Literature
Geography:
Mindanao known in the Philippines as the “Land of Promise.”
 Major islands: Mindanao mainland, Camiguin, Siargao,
Samal, Dinagat, Bucas Grande, Basilan, Sulu, and
Tawi-Tawi.
 Regions: BARMM, CARAGA, Davao, Northern
Mindanao, SOCCSKARGEN, and Zamboanga
Peninsula.
Davao City is said to be the most populous place in Mindanao.
Mt. Apo in Davao is known as the highest point in the
Philippines.
 Famous local destinations: Maria Cristina Falls,
Limunsudan Falls, Tinago Falls, Tinuy-an Falls, Lake
Lanao, Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, Agus River,
Siargao, Dahilayan Forest Park, Rio Grande River, and
Enchanted River in Surigao del Sur.
 Famous landmarks: Sunken Cemetery in Camiguin
Island, The Grand Mosque of Cotabato, Dapitan,
Zamboanga City and the Islamic City of Marawi.
The population consists of 63% Christians, 32% Muslims, and 5%
affiliated with other religions.
Language(s):
 Cebuano – generally the native language in most
regions, except for Muslim areas on the west coast and
hill tribes
Other languages:
 Mandaya, Kalagan, Giangon, Dibabawon, Tagabawa,
Mansaka, Sangirese, Obo, Sarangani, Hiligaynon
Ethnic groups:
Lumads from the different regions:
 Zamboanga Peninsula – Subanons
 Northern Mindanao and CARAGA - Bukidnon, Ata
Manobos, Mamanwas. Matigsalugs, Agusan Manobos,
Talaandigs, Kamigins, Higaonons
 SOCCSKARGEN - T’Bolis, Tirurays, B’laans,
Saranganis, Cotabato Manobos
 DAVAO - Obos, Mandayas, Giangans, Tagabawas,
Kalagans, Sangirese, Mansakas
Moros: Maguindanaos, Maranaos, Tausugs, Yakans, Iranuns,
Samas
Other Groups: Butuanons, Surigaonons, Kagay-anons,
Zamboangueños, Hiligaynons, Cebuanos, Bajaos
Mindanao Literature from the past to the present:
Each Muslim cultural community has its own inventory of folk
literature, which usually displays themes that are unique ad
peculiar, yet unified by Islamic faith.
Oral literary forms may be didactic, hortatory, entertaining,
instructive, or informative.
Just like the other Filipino groups that follow oral tradition,
Mindanao Muslim folk literature has a rich variety of folktales,
myths, legends, poems, epics, ballads, riddles, and proverbs.
 Folktales are called differently according to the ethno-
linguistic groups and its origin:
 Kana-kana (from Jama Mapun and Sama)
 Katakata (from Tausug)
 Oman-oman (from Davaoeños)
 Totol (from Maranao)
 Tudtol (from Iranon)
 Tudtolan (from Maguindanao)
 Famous folktales include:
 Agamaniyog Folktales from Maranao
 Manuk-manuk Bulawan from Indanan (also known as
Agta and Datu Dakula)
 Posong or Pusung from Tausug – stories of how Posong
the trickster has always deceived the datu and get away
with it
 Famous epics include:
 Bantugan – Maranao epic
 Indarapatra and Sulayman – Maguindanao epic
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 Parang Sabil hi Abdulla iban hi Isara – Tausug epic/ Metro Manila Literature
ballad
Geography:
For every folk literature such as ballads, proverbs, riddles, the
The National Capital Region (NCR), the official name of Metro
ethnic groups have their own ways of naming it.
Manila and seat of the government
Most ballads are historical which feature heroic deeds of
 Consists of 16 cities: Manila, Quezon City, Las Piñas,
important personalities.
Makati, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Parañaque,
In the present time, Filipinos have lack of access to the textual Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, Taguig, Caloocan, Malabon,
materials of the oral literature of Mindanao. Literature scholars Navotas, and Valenzuela, as well as the municipality of
concluded that the people themselves don’t seem to realize that Pateros
their cultural products are already vanishing due to lack of literary
NCR is considered as the Philippines’s political, economic, social,
preservation.
and cultural center.
Moreover, the people of Mindanao seem to be preoccupied in
This is also reported as the 18th most populous city in the
mundane with politics and economics. Modern Mindanao
world in 2016 and one of the modern metropolises in the
literature themes revolve on topics such as war and conflict,
Southeast Asia.
quest for peace, social inequality, landlessness, love of
one’s land, and others. Due to its dense population with its people coming from the
different areas of the country and its neighboring countries, Merly
Mindanao Harvest 4: A 21st Century Literary Anthology was
M. Alunan, an Eastern Visayan writer and professor, described
published in 2018 by Far Eastern University (FEU) Publications.
Metro Manila as a “huge urban conglomeration.”
This anthology is said to be the first comprehensive literary
anthology on Mindanao’s contemporary literatures including 63 NCR is also a place of economic extremes.
Mindanao writers. This book is edited by Jaime An Lim,
Christine F. Godinez-Ortega, and Ricardo M. de Ungria.  High-income citizens reside in highly developed urban cities
such as Makati and Muntinlupa while
A lesson for Sultan

 poor and low-income families are scattered in slum areas

 is one of the popular Maranao folktale. It is one of the
folktales from “Agamaniyog” it is a combination of the words such as Tondo and Smokey Mountain

agama and niyog.

 Famous landmarks and tourist destinations in the
 Agama means village or town that has people, land,
NCR: Rizal Park, National Museum of the Philippines,
mosque, wealth and power.
Intramuros where Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, San
Agustin Church, Bahay Tsinoy Museum, Anda Circle
 Niyog is the Filipino word that refers to coconuts.
and others.

 In short, Agamaniyog means “land of coconuts”

 Most-visited museums in NCR: The Mind Museum,
Ayala Museum, Ateneo Art Gallery, Museo Pambata,
 Characters: Solotan sa Agamaniyog, Ba'i sa Agamaniyog,
Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Presidential Museum
Lokes a Mama, Lokes a Babay, Sultan of Balantankairan
and Library, CCP Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino, Jorge
B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center,
 Setting: Torogan (royal house), Lakeshore, Nipa hut
Philippine Science Centrum, Yuchengco Museum, AFP
Museum, San Agustin Museum, Money Museum, and
The Museum at DLSU.

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Language: WRITERS OF CLASSIC PHILIPPINE LITERATURE FROM THE
PAST:
Filipino – more popularly known as Tagalog, the national
language and an official language of the country, is the most Considering this rich and invigorating cultural matrix, the Tagalog
widely spoken language in Metro Manila region was also the birthplace of several historic Filipino men in
the field of Philippine politics, culture, and literature. These writers
English – language of commerce, law, and several workplaces
are also known today as Filipino heroes:
Metro Manila Literature from past to present:
 Francisco Balagtas Baltazar
The Tagalog literature has been born and developed in the  Jose Rizal
provinces of Southern Luzon, Central Luzon, and the present  Andres Bonifacio
Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region.  Apolinario Mabini
 Emilio Jacinto
Southern Luzon is consisted of the provinces of Region IV–A and
 Marcelo H. del Pilar
Region IV–B. Region IV-A, also known as CALABARZON,
 Jose P. Laurel
consists of the provinces of Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, and
 Claro M. Recto
Quezon. Region IV-B, also known as MIMAROPA, consists of
 Amado V. Hernandez
Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, and Palawan.
 Lope K. Santos
In Region III or Central Luzon, there are provinces where Tagalog  Lazaro Francisco
has been predominantly used as communication tool. These are  Faustino Aguilar
the provinces of Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Bataan, and Bulacan.  Jose Corazon de Jesus
 Alejandro Abadilla
The Tagalog region is well-known nationwide as the birthplace of
 Modesto de Castro
a rich tradition of Philippine culture in the aspects of language,
politics, economy and literature.
 Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil (July 19, 1922 – July 30, 2018) –
University of Sto. Tomas, the oldest university in the was a Filipino author, journalist, historian, and public
Philippines, is located in Manila. servant and a recipient of S.E.A. Write Award; She wrote
Woman Enough and Other Essays
The first printing press that was built in Manila made the
publication of the first book Doctrina Cristiana possible in 1593,
 Nicomedes “Nick” Márquez Joaquín (May 4, 1917 – April
in the form of xylography. This was written in Spanish and
29, 2004) – was a Filipino author, historian, and journalist
Tagalog languages.
who is popular for his short stories and novels written in the
Pasyon, which narrated the life of Christ in the form of song and English language, using the pen name “Quijano de Manila”;
poetry was written in Tagalog by the various writers Gaspar in 1976, Joaquin was declared as the 1976 National Artist of
Aquino de Belen and Fr. Mariano Pilapil. the Philippines for Literature.

Just like in the islands of Visayas, the literary tradition in the

 Alejandro Reyes Roces (July 13, 1924 – May 23, 2011) –
Tagalog regions had been outstanding in the field of oral
was a dramatist, essayist, and declared as the 2003
literature. Bugtong (riddle), proverbs, native songs, and other
National Artist of the Philippines for literature. As a public
forms had always been in poetic forms. Its form and perspective
servant, he became the Secretary of Education from 1961
were distincted as Asian, usually containing seven-syllabic
to 1965, during the presidency of the former Philippine
rhymes.
President Diosdado Macapagal.

 Bienvenido N. Santos (1911–1996) – was a Filipino-

American fictionist, poet, and non-fictionist; He was born

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and raised in Tondo, Manila. His family roots are originally
from Lubao, Pampanga, Philippines. He resided in the
United States for many years where he is popular as a
pioneering Asian-American writer.
 Carmen Acosta (February 1, 1904 - September 13, 1986) –
She was the daughter of Godofredo B. Herrera, and
Paterna Santos. Her father was a journalist and served for a
time as municipal president (or mayor in modern usage) of
Caloocan during the American colonial rule. She was a
University of the Philippines Bachelor of Philosophy
graduate and taught at the Torres High School in Manila.
 Genoveva Edroza Matute (January 3, 1915 – March 21,
2009) – Was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila; Wrote several books
and short stories such as Kuwento ni Mabuti, and
Paglalayag sa Puso ng Isang Bata
SOME CONTEMPORARY WRITERS FROM PAST TO
PRESENT:
 Lualhati Bautista – was born on December 2, 1945 in
Tondo, Manila; She is one of the historical Filipino female
novelists in the present time. Her famous novels are
Dekada '70, ‘GAPÔ, and Bata, Bata, Pa'no Ka Ginawa
 Gémino H. Abad – was born on February 5, 1939 in Sta.
Ana, Manila; At present, he is a University Professor
Emeritus at the University of the Philippines. His current
writing and research include “Upon Our Own Ground”, a
two- volume historical anthology of short stories in English,
1956- 1972, with critical introduction; “Our Scene So Fair”, a
book of critical essays on the poetry in English since 1905
to the mid- 50s, and; “Where No Words break”, a volume of
his own poems.
 Linda Ty Casper – was born in 1931 in Malabon City; She
has written and published over fifteen books, including the
historical novel DreamEden and the political novels The
Stranded Whale, The Peninsulars, Awaiting Trespass,
Wings of Stone, A Small Party in a Garden, and Fortress in
the Plaza. In addition, she has also published three
collections of short stories which focuses on the cross-
section of Filipino society.
 Efren Abueg – born on March 3, 1937 in Tanza, Cavite but
his life as a professor and writer flourished in Manila since
he was college; He wrote the famous short stories
Mabangis na Lungsod, and Sa Bagong Paraiso.
 Gilda Cordero-Fernando – was born on June 4, 1932 in
Manila; A multi-awarded writer, publisher and cultural icon
from the Philippines; She has written the books We Live in
the Philippines, The last Full Moon: Lessons on My Life,
The Magic Circle, and other books.
SOME FAMOUS WRITERS IN THE PRESENT TIME:
 Bebang Siy – Wrote It’s Raining Mens and It’s a Mens
World, whose works are known to be funny and comical;
Despite the humorous writings, her novels are thought-
provoking.
 Bob Ong – Author of Stainless Longanisa,
ABNKKBSNPLAKo, Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas, Kapitan
Sino, MACARTHUR, Alamat ng Gubat, and others which
were known to be written in an informal and comic manner
but reflects the life of many as Filipinos
 Ricky Lee – Known as one of the greatest scriptwriters in
movie and television; Author of Si Amapola sa 65 na
Kabanata, Para kay B (o kung paano dinevastate ng pag-
ibig ang 4 out of 5 sa atin), Trip to Quiapo, and other books.
 Ferdinand Pisigan Jarin – Author of Anim na Sabado ng
Beyblade at Iba Pang Sanaysay, a memoir about his son
named Rebo; He is also a musician and teacher.
Asian Literature
Asian Literature encompasses various facets of
literature. Primarily, these are the poetry and prose writings
produced in a variety of languages in Asia. As religion, was, and
politics influence Asian communities, literary flourished to
emulate these developments.
The literary mores of Asia which is considered the
largest continent of the world are immense in terms of scope and
length of existence. With these, it is prudent to take a literary
exploration of Asian Literature by geographical region. By its
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technical term, it is basically the literary products made in the poems written by the two are directed towards the other.
continent Asia throughout history. Each of these poets use his emotions and experiences in the
T'ang Dynasty of China to create poems that illustrate and
Asian literature reflects the similarities in customs and traditions
comment on many different aspects of ancient Chinese life. Also,
of African and Asian countries, their philosophies of life, and the
both employ similar key images. However, by examining the
struggles and successes of their developing nations and its
"friendship" poems for insights into their relationship, one
people. The study of the massive amount of Asian literature as a
discovers the contrast between their attitudes toward life.
whole requires the combination of literature under specific
headings. Asian literature can be divided into a host of different Japan
labels, categorized according to religion, zone, region, ethnic
Both in quantity and quality, Japanese literature ranks
group, literary genre, historical perspective or language of origin
as one of the major literatures of the world, comparable in age,
China richness, and volume to English literature, though its course of
development has been quite dissimilar. The surviving works
Chinese literature is one of the major literary heritages
comprise a literary tradition extending from the 7th century CE to
of the world, with an uninterrupted history of more than 3,000
the present.
years, dating back at least to the 14th century BCE.
The first writing of literature in Japanese was motivated
Its medium, the Chinese language, has retained its
by influence from China. But in the later years Japanese tradition
unmistakable identity in its spoken and written aspects in spite of
created its distinct literary landmark. One of the renowned poetic
generally gradual changes in pronunciation, the existence of
forms is haiku (a short descriptive poem with 17 syllables) and
regional and local dialects, and several stages in the structural
the various theatrical genres, namely: the Noh and the Kabuki.
representation of the written graphs, or “characters.”
Even the writings entirely in Japanese present an
Culturally speaking, China has endured its attribute of
extraordinary variety of styles, which cannot be explained merely
keeping the fundamental of its identity very firm. The Tang
in terms of the natural evolution of the language.
Dynasty is the finest era of the Chinese literature because the
poets like Tu Fu, Li Po and Wang Wei created landmark works. The difficulties of reading Japanese literature can hardly
be exaggerated; even a specialist in one period is likely to have
Through cultural contacts, Chinese literature has
trouble deciphering a work from another period or genre.
profoundly influenced the literary traditions of other Asian
countries, particularly Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Not only was Japanese style has always favored ambiguity, and the
the Chinese script adopted for the written language in these particles of speech necessary for easy comprehension of a
countries, but some writers adopted the Chinese language as statement are often omitted as unnecessary or as fussily precise
their chief literary medium, at least before the 20th century.
Despite the great difficulties arising from such
The pronunciation of the Chinese graphs has also characteristics of style, Japanese literature of all periods is
influenced the development of Chinese literature. The fact that exceptionally appealing to modern readers, whether read in the
each graph had a monophonic pronunciation in each context original or in translation.
created many homonyms, which led to misunderstanding and
Because it is prevailingly subjective and colored by an
confusion when spoken or read aloud without the aid of the
emotional rather than intellectual or moralistic tone, its themes
graphs.
have a universal quality almost unaffected by time.
Famous Chinese Poets
Japanese Poet Spotlight
Two of the greatest Chinese poets, and the best known, are Li
Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) was one of the greatest Japanese
Po and Tu Fu. Li Po and Tu Fu, being respected poets from the
poets. He elevated haiku to the level of serious poetry in
T'ang Dynasty period, competed heavily with one another, but
numerous anthologies and travel diaries. The name of Matsuo
they have been called friends by many scholars. In fact, many of
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Basho is associated especially with the celebrated Genroku era
(ca. 1680-1730), which saw the flourishing of many of Japan's
greatest and most typical literary and artistic personalities. His
poetry and in his attitude toward life he seemed to harken back to
a period some 300 years earlier. An innovator in poetry, spiritually
and culturally he maintained a great tradition of the past. One of
the most famous haiku of Matsuo Basho:
The old pond
A frog jumps in
Sound of water.
Korea
Korean literature consists the body of works written by
Koreans, at first in Classical Chinese, later in various transcription
systems using Chinese characters, and finally in Hangul
Although Korea has had its own language for several
thousand years, it has had a writing system only since the mid-
15th century, when Hangul was invented. As a result, early
literary activity was in Chinese characters. Korean scholars were
writing poetry in the traditional manner of Classical Chinese at
least by the 4th century CE.
By the 7th century a system, called idu, had been
devised that allowed Koreans to make rough transliterations of
Chinese texts. Eventually, certain Chinese characters were used
for their phonetic value to represent Korean particles of speech
and inflectional endings.
In general, then, literature written in Korea falls into
three categories: works written in the early transcription systems,
those written in Hangul, and those written in Chinese.
There are four major traditional poetic forms in Korean Literature:
 Hyangga (“native songs”) poems were written in four,
eight, or 10 lines; the 10-line form—comprising two four-line
stanzas and a concluding two-line stanza—was the most
popular and oldest form in Korean literature.
 Pyŏlgok (“special songs”) or changga flourished during
the middle and late Koryŏ period. It is characterized by a
refrain either in the middle or at the end of each stanza. The
theme of most of these anonymous poems is love, the joys
and torments of which are expressed in frank and powerful
language.
 Sijo (“current melodies”) is the longest-enduring and most
popular form of Korean poetry. Sijo are three-line poems in
which each line has 14 to 16 syllables and the total number
of syllables seldom exceeds 45. Each line consists of
groups of four syllables. Sijo may deal with Confucian
ethical values, but there are also many poems about nature
and love.
 Kasa (“verses”) tends to be much longer than other forms
of Korean poetry and is usually written in balanced couplets.
During the earlier period, the poem was generally about 100
lines long and dealt with such subjects as female beauty,
war, and seclusion.
 In another system, kugyŏl, abridged versions of Chinese
characters were used to denote grammatical elements and
were inserted into texts during transcription.
Existing literary works indicate, however, that before the 20th
century much of Korean literature was written in Chinese rather
than in Korean, even after the invention of Hangul.
Korean Poet Spotlight
Seo Jeong-ju (May 18, 1915 – December 24, 2000) was a
Korean poet and university professor. He taught Korean literature
in universities, who wrote under the pen name “Midang”.
He is widely considered as one of the best poets in
twentieth-century Korean literature and was nominated five times
for the Nobel Prize in literature. His grandmother’s stories and his
interest in Buddhism had a strong influence upon his writing.
He wrote over 1,000 poems over more than 60 years
and had considerable influence on Korean literature, being
considered the ‘founding father of modern Korean poetry’.
Under the pen name Midang, he published at least 15
collections of poetry. His works have been translated into several
languages, including English, French, Spanish, and German. His
100th anniversary in December 2016 was commemorated by the
republication of his collected works which included recently
discovered and previously unpublished poems.
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India
The earliest Indian literature took the form of the
canonical Hindu sacred writings, known as the Veda, which were
written in Sanskrit. To the Veda were added prose commentaries
such as the Brahmanas and the Upanishads.
In addition to sacred and philosophical writings, such genres as
erotic and devotional lyrics, court poetry, plays, and narrative
folktales emerged.
From these and other related languages emerged the
modern languages of northern India. The literature of those
languages depended largely on the ancient Indian background,
which includes two Sanskrit epic poems, the Mahabharata and
Ramayana, as well as the Bhagavata-purana and the other
Puranas.
The South Indian language of Tamil is an exception to
this pattern of Sanskrit influence because it had a classical
tradition of its own. Urdu and Sindhi are other exceptions.
Beginning in the 19th century, particularly during the
height of British control over the subcontinent, Western literary
models had an impact on Indian literature, the most striking result
being the introduction of the use of vernacular prose on a major
scale.
Such forms as the novel and short story began to be
adopted by Indian writers, as did realism and an interest in social
questions and psychological description. A tradition of literature in
English was also established in the subcontinent
Indian Poet Spotlight
Rabindranath Tagore (May 7, 1861 - August 7, 1941), Bengali
poet, short-story writer, song composer, playwright, essayist, and
painter who introduced new prose and verse forms and the use of
colloquial language into Bengali literature, thereby freeing it from
traditional models based on classical Sanskrit.
He was highly influential in introducing Indian culture to the West
and vice versa, and he is generally regarded as the outstanding
creative artist of early 20th-century India. In 1913 he became the
first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Tagore’s poems are virtually untranslatable, as are his more than
2,000 songs, which achieved considerable popularity among all
classes of Bengali society.
African Literature
There are 54 nations which make up Africa. Each of these
separate countries have their own history, culture, tribes, and
traditions.
African literature are literary works of the African continent. It
consists of a body of work in different languages and various
genres,
ranging from oral literature (Swahili, Arabic, Zulu, Xhosa,
Amharic, Yoruba) to literature written in colonial languages
(French, Portuguese, and English)
African oral literature:
stories/folktales, dramas, riddles, histories, myths, songs,
proverbs
Employed to educate and entertain children
Oral histories, myths, and proverbs additionally serve to remind
communities about their ancestors’ heroic deeds, their past, and
their customs and traditions.
There is a concern for presentation and the oratory.
Folktale tellers use call-response techniques
A griot (praise singer) will accompany a narrative with music
The Slave Naarratives:
The first African writings to gain attention in the West were the
poignant slave narratives.
 The Interesting Narrative of the Life and Adventures of
Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, The African (1789)
It vividly described the horrors of slavery and the slave trade
Colonialism in Africa and its effects in their literature:
As Africans became literate in their own languages, they often
reacted against colonial repression in their writings.
Since the early 19th century writers from Western Africa have
used newspapers to air their views.
Several founded newspapers that served as vehicles for
expressing nascent nationalist feelings.
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French-speaking Africans in France, led by Leopold Senghor
were active in the negritude movement along with Leon Damas
and Aime Cesaire, French speakers from French Guiana and
Martinique.
Their poetry denounced colonialism, and proudly asserted the
validity of the cultures that the colonials had tried to crush.
Colonial Africa:
Africa suffered several difficulties in its lengthy history which gave
an influence on the themes and topics of its literature.
One difficulty which headed to several others is that of
colonization.
The problem with colonization is when the incoming people take
advantage of the indigenous people and the properties of the
occupied land.
The African Diaspora:
Colonization led to slavery. Millions of African people were
enslaved and brought to Western countries around the world from
the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries.
This spreading of African people, largely against their will, is
called the African Diaspora.
Post-colonial African Literature:
After World War II, as Africans began demanding their
independence, more African writers were published.
The writers written in European languages, and often they shared
the same themes:
 the clash between indigenous and colonial cultures,
 condemnation of European suppression,
 pride in the African past, and
 hope for the continent's independent future.
In South Africa, the horrors of Apartheid have, until the present,
dominated the literature.
Apartheid is a system of racial segregation by the National Party
government in South Africa from 1948 to 1994.
Under which the rights of the majority black inhabitants of South
Africa were curtailed and minority rule by whites was maintained.
Contemporary African Literature:
Contemporary African literature reveals disillusionment and
dissent with current events.
Involves themes such as:
 deceit and corruption
 colonial tyranny
 hardships and struggles under colonial rule and
influences
 criticism of the government
African Writers:
Wole Soyinka
 Born in Abeokuta, Nigeria on July 13, 1934
 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986,
becoming the first African laureate.
 Alongside his literary career, he has also worked as an
actor and in theaters in Nigeria and Great Britain. His
works include plays, poetry, novels, and essays.
 He writes in English, but his works are rooted in his
native Nigeria and the Yoruba culture, with its legends,
tales, and traditions.
 His writing also includes influences from Western
traditions - from classical tragedies to modernist drama.
“The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.”
“The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.”
“Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to
suppress the truth.”
Chinua Achebe
 Born in Ogidi, Nigeria on November 16, 1930
 He is a Nigerian novelist acclaimed for his
unsentimental depictions of the social and psychological
disorientation accompanying the imposition of Western
customs and values upon traditional African society.
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 His particular concern was with emergent Africa at its
moments of crisis.
 His novels range in subject matter from the first contact
of an African village with the white man to the educated
African’s attempt to create a firm moral order out of the
changing values in a large city.
Things Fall Apart (1958)
Petals of Blood (1977) - deals with social and economic
problems in East Africa after independence, particularly the
continued exploitation of peasants and workers by foreign
business interests and a greedy indigenous bourgeoisie.
Mwende “Freequency” KATWIWA
 She is a Kenyan Queer Womyn speaker and
performer.

is the first novel by Chinua Achebe, written in English and
published in 1958. Things Fall Apart helped create the Nigerian
literary renaissance of the 1960s.
 It describes the simultaneous disintegration of its
protagonist Okonkwo and of his village.
 The novel was praised for its intelligent and realistic
treatment of tribal beliefs and of psychological
disintegration coincident with social unraveling.
Ngugi Wa Thiong’o
 Born in Limuru, Kenya on January 5, 1938
 Katwiwa is an award-winning, internationally touring
poet, author, host, youth worker, social-justice speaker,
teaching artist and workshop leader who has spent her
life at the intersection of arts, education and activism.
 Her work is heavily influenced by her heritage and her
pan-African upbringing
Slam poetry
 a form of performance poetry that combines the
elements of performance, writing, competition, and
audience participate
on.

 Kenyan writer who was considered East

 It is performed at events called poetry slams, or simply
Africa’s leading novelist.
slams.

 His popular Weep Not, Child (1964) was the first

 The name slam came from how the audience has the
major novel in English by an East African.
power to praise or, sometimes, destroy a poem and from
the high-energy performance style of the poets.
 Also known as one of Africa’s most articulate social
critics.

 As he became sensitized to the effects of colonialism in

Africa, Ngugi adopted his traditional name and wrote in
the Bantu language of Kenya’s Kikuyu people.

Weep Not, Child (1964) - is the story of a Kikuyu family drawn

into the struggle for Kenyan independence during the state of
emergency and the Mau Mau rebellion.

The River Between (1965) - tells of lovers kept apart by the

conflict between Christianity and traditional ways and beliefs and
suggests that efforts to reunite a culturally divided community by
means of Western education are doomed to failure.

Poquiz, Aira Mae P.

STEM 12-25