Africa, Egypt and it’s

Literature
Muhammad Mateen
 Introduction of Africa
• Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent, after Asia in both
cases.
• At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6%
of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area.
• With 1.4 billion people as of 2021, it accounts for about 18% of the world's human population.
• Africa's population is the youngest amongst all the continents; the median age in 2012 was
19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4.
• Despite a wide range of natural resources, Africa is the least wealthy continent per capita and
second-least wealthy by total wealth, behind Oceania. 
• Scholars have attributed this to different factors including geography,
climate, tribalism, colonialism, the Cold War, neo-colonialism, lack of democracy, and
corruption.
The Incredibly Diverse Traditions and
Cultures of Africa
Africa ~ An Influx of Cultures
• The hominid race was walked the land of Africa around 8 million to 5 million
years ago. Many different languages, religions and types of economic activities
developed on this continent. The Arabs crossed into North Africa in the 7th
century AD.
People of Africa
• There are many tribes, ethnic groups and communities in Africa. Some
communities have a large population of about millions of people, while some
ethnic tribes number a few hundred. Each tribe follows its own culture and
tradition.
• The Afar are tribal people that live in Ethiopian desert lands. They follow their
own culture, and are nomads, living solely on their livestock.
Traditions of Africa:
• As you have read in the above paragraphs, African culture is mixed with the innumerable
tribes and ethnic groups. The influence of European and Arab cultures, has also provided
a taste of uniqueness to the culture of Africa. Family is the most important part of every
culture here.
• According to one unique traditional culture, the people of Lobola follow an interesting
custom. The groom has to pay the father of the bride to compensate for the ‘loss’ of his
daughter to the man in marriage. 
Languages:
• There are over hundred languages and dialects spoken in Africa. The most prominent
languages spoken include, Arabic, Swahili, and Hausa. You will find several official
languages in one country. Many Africans speak Malagasy, English, Spanish, French,
Bambara, Sotho, etc.
Food:
• Food and drink again reflects the diversity and colonial traditions. African cuisine includes
traditional fruits and vegetables, meat and milk products. A simple village diet includes,
milk, yogurt, and whey.
African Literature:

• African literature reflects the stories of people from hundreds of years ago
and the people who live now. It is a hugely important part of the literary world
as it brings underrepresented voices to the fore and allows them to re-tell
their experiences of the world.
• African literature isn't just the voices of African people during colonialism and
the slave trade. It is much more than that. It covers the stories of African
people before colonialism, during colonialism, and after colonialism (this is
known as post-colonial literature).
African literature: Characteristics
• There are many defining characteristics of African literature and African books.
Though there are differences between the literature of each country, the following
characteristics are present in most books.

1.Language

• African literature not only comes in the written form but also as oral literature. Before
colonialism, Africans would tell their stories orally and through performance,
sometimes using music as well.

• After colonialism, the African writers started to write in European languages such as

English, Portuguese, and French. Their stories would share similar themes such as
denouncing European colonisation of the African countries, the greatness of their
African past before the European countries invaded, and hope for independence in
the future of Africa.
2. Historical influences

• Another characteristic of African literature is the writers’ focus on themes

of freedom and independence, questions of identity and liberation.
• In the period between 1881 and 1914, known as the ‘Scramble for Africa’,
numerous European powers took control of most of Africa.
• The only three countries untouched by the Europeans were the Dervish State,
Liberia, and Ethiopia.
• The Atlantic slave trade involved the movement of more than twelve million
African people to America to work as slaves. Some of these slaves eventually
gained their freedom and those who were literate started writing stories to fight
against slavery by recounting their horrifying experiences as slaves. The first
generation of these narrators was Ottobah Cugoano, Olaudah Equiano, and
Ignatius Sancho.
Types of African literature

• The different types of African literature can be divided into four groups:
• Oral African literature
• Pre-colonial African literature
• Colonial African literature
• Post-colonial literature

• These can further be divided into three periods of African literature: during

African liberation, colonialism of Africa, and Africa after colonialism.
 Oral African literature
Oral literature, including 
• Stories.
• Dramas,
• Riddles, 
• Histories, 
• Myths,
• Songs,
• Proverbs,
Expressions, were frequently employed to educate and entertain children. Oral histories, myt
hs, and proverbs additionally serve to remind whole communities of their ancestors' heroic d
eeds, their past, and the precedents for their customs and traditions. Essential to oral literatur
e is a concern for presentation and oratory. Folktale tellers use call-
response techniques. A griot (praise singer) will accompany a narrative with music.
Pre-colonial African literature

• Pre-colonial African literature is the literature written between the fifteenth and
nineteenth centuries and includes the Atlantic slave trade.

• These stories were based on the folklore of different regions in African countries.

– For example, Sungura is a hare in folklore in East Africa and Central Africa.
Often, these stories included mischievous animal characters such as Anansi, a
spider found in the folklore of the Ashanti tribe in Ghana.
It is important to understand that before colonial rule, African literature existed.
Africans wrote in Africa as well as in the west and they also wrote in their native
languages.
 Colonial African literature
• Colonial African Literature was produced between the end of World War I and
African independence (the date of which depends on the different countries,
such as Ghana's 1957 independence from British control and Algeria's
independence in 1962 from France). It contained themes of 
– independence,
– liberation and négritude.
Traditionally, Africans combine teaching in their art forms. For example,
rather than writing or singing about beauty, African people use elements of
beauty to portray crucial facts and information about African society.
 Post-colonial African Literature

• Writers in this period wrote in both western languages and African languages.

• The main themes that African authors explore in post-colonial African Literature are
the relationship between modernity and tradition, the relationship between Africa’s
past and Africa’s present, individuality and collectivism, the notion of foreignness and
indigenous, capitalism and socialism, and what it means to be African.

• Writers who reflect these themes in their writing include Chinua Achebe in Arrow of

God (1964) and Ngugi wa Thiong'o in Wizard of the Crow (2006).
• In the quote below from Purple Hibiscus (2003) by Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie, the author reflects on the relationship between
Africa's past and present by showing how Kambili has been taught
to see God as white. For her, God can't be her skin colour as the
colour black isn't 'pure' enough for God. It also presents the
strained relationship she has with her skin colour and her
understanding that the colour white is good and pure:

‘When she made a U-turn and went back the way we had come,
I let my mind drift, imagining God laying out the hills of Nsukka
with his wide white hands, crescent-moon shadows underneath
his nails just like Father Benedict’s.’ 
Short stories in African literature

• Wives at war and other stories (1980) by Flora Nwapa

• This collection of short stories focuses on the involvement of women in

wars. They portray the different experiences of women during the Nigerian
civil war and show the bravery of the military leaders of Biafra's women's
organisations. These women started a war against the bureaucracy that
didn't allow them to represent their homeland around the world.
Let’s tell this story properly (2014) by
Jennifer Nansugba Makumbi

In this collection of short stories, Makumbi

presents the lives of Ugandans in Britain.
Whether they are highly visible individuals or
barely noticed, whether they care for the
elderly or work in hospitals, Makumbi aims to
show how the lives of Ugandans who live in
Britain are not included in 'White British' life.
As these characters try to find themselves in
Britain, their homeland drifts further and
further away from them.
Egypt

• Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a

transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of
Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge
formed by the Sinai Peninsula.

• Islam is the official religion of Egypt and Arabic is its official

language. With over 100 million inhabitants, Egypt is the
most populous country in North Africa, the Middle East,
and the Arab world, the third-most populous in Africa
(after Nigeria and Ethiopia), and the fourteenth-most
populous in the world.
• Egyptian literature traces its beginnings to ancient Egypt and is some of
the earliest known literature. Ancient Egyptians were the first to develop
written literature, as inscriptions or in collections of papyrus, precursors to
the modern book.
• The ancient Egyptians wrote works on papyrus as well as walls, tombs,
pyramids, obelisks and more. Perhaps the best-known example of ancient
Jehiel literature is the Story of Sinuhe; other well-known works include
the Westcar Papyrus and the Ebers papyrus, as well as the famous Book
of the Dead.
• The Nile had a strong influence on the writings of the ancient Egyptians, as
did Greco-Roman poets who came to Alexandria to be supported by the
many patrons of the arts who lived there and to make use of the resources
of the Library of Alexandria.
 Egypt Is Famous For ?

1. Pyramids
• he pyramids of Egypt come in different sizes, and
currently, it is thought that there are over a hundred
of them in the country. The biggest is the Pyramid of
Khufu which is one of several on the Giza plateau.
2. Great Sphinx of Giza
• Featured in millions of photographs and famous
worldwide the Sphinx of Giza is another popular
stopover for tourists visiting the Giza plateau. The
statue carved from limestone dates from around
2532 BC and has a lion’s body on which the head of
man is imposed.
3. Luxor

• The modern city of Luxor

is one of the must-see
places in Egypt and it
encloses ancient
temples and has several
historical sites in the
vicinity. Among the
temples that are within
the city are Luxor and
Karnak. The Luxor
Temple is thought to
have been the place
where pharaohs were
crowned. 
4. The River
Nile

• The wealth
and history of
Egypt and
much of its
ancient
civilization is
linked to the
Nile River.
The annual
floods of the
river caused
silt to be left
behind as the
water
receded.
5. Mummies
Egypt has several
museums that exhibit
mummies of pharaohs,
royal families, and
priests. Many of the
tombs of the pharaohs
were robbed and so
their mummies and
wealth were lost too. 
6. Cleopatra
Even though she is linked to
Egypt, she was a ruler of the
Ptolemaic Kingdom that was
based in the country.
Established after the death
of Alexander the Great who
invaded and took over
Egypt, the Ptolemaic
Kingdom was created by
Ptolemy I Soter who was
one of his generals.
 Egyptian writing in English
• Egyptian literature is suffused with inspiring and thoughtful
masterpieces. Nonetheless, it is quite a challenge to find
contemporary Egyptian literature in English.

1.SOLITUDE BY DORIA SHAFIK (POETRY)

• One of the most iconic feminists of Egyptian modern history, Doria

Shafik is well-known for her political activism and advanced
education.

• Her poetry took on a philosophical tone, which is understandable

considering Shafik earned a doctorate in philosophy from the
Sorbonne. Her freestyle extensively tackles notions of love,
freedom, exploration and activism.
2.’THE FAIREST FAITH’ BY ANTHONY FANGARY
•Egypt’s contemporary literature scene must reflect the diverse voices which live in it. One
perpetually missing voice is that of Copts in fiction or nonfiction literature.
3.’ARABS ON THE BEACH’ BY NOOR NAGA (ESSAY)
•A wonderful read which makes one reflects on city dwellers and desert dwellers in Egypt as well
as Egyptian customs of vacationing, this essay provides a glimpse into the complicated lives of
Arabs (sometimes called Bedouins) who live in the North coast of the country. The essay is
replete with anthropological and historical musings with personal reflections of the author.
4. ‘HALF A DAY’ BY NAGHUIB MAHFOUZ  (SHORT STORY)
•One of the few iconic writers on this list who do not need an introduction, Mahfouz is Egypt’s most
famous contemporary writer, most known for his ‘Cairo Trilogy’. He received a Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1988 which many of his works having been adapted to films and TV series.
• 5. ‘RYTHMIC EXERCISE’ BY MOHAMED MAKHZANGI (SHORT
STORY)

• An unusual yet captivating short story

by Mohamed Makhzangi; it narrates the
simple idea of a family’s quest to
combat obesity and gain fitness during
a time where Egypt’s sunset-to-dawn
curfew was active.
• The family resorts to dancing and
making simple exercises, latching on to
any resemblance of having a normal life
during times of political unrest. The
story ends in a shocking twist.
Christian
• Alexandria became an important center in early
Christianity during roughly the 1st to 4th century
AD. Coptic works were an important contribution to Christian
literature of the period and the Nag Hammadi library helped
preserve a number of books that would otherwise have been
lost.
• The Nag Hammadi library (also known as the
"Chenoboskion Manuscripts" and the "Gnostic Gospels" is a
collection of early Christian and Gnostic texts discovered
near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945.
 Islamic

• By the eighth century Egypt had been conquered by the Muslim Arabs.

Literature, and especially libraries, thrived under the new Egypt brought
about by the Muslim conquerors.

• Several important changes occurred during this time which affected

Egyptian writers. Papyrus was replaced by cloth paper, and calligraphy
 was introduced as a writing system.

• Also, the focus of writing shifted almost entirely to Islam. An early novel Ibn al-Nafis
 written in Arab Egypt was Ibn al-Nafis' Theologus Autodidactus, a 
theological novel with futuristic elements that have been described as 
science fiction by some scholars.

•   A taqriz, or a signed statement of praise similar to but longer than a 

blurb, was often placed in the works of Egyptian authors beginning in the
14th century.
• Many tales of the One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian
Nights) can be traced to medieval Egyptian storytelling
traditions. These tales were probably in circulation before
they were collected and codified into a single collection.
Medieval Egyptian folklore was one of three distinct layers of
storytelling which were incorporated into the Nights by the
15th century, the other two being ancient Indian and Persian
 folklore, and stories from Abbasid-era Baghdad.

Printing press

• The printing press first came to Egypt with Napoleon's

campaign in 1798;Muhammad Ali embraced printing when
he assumed power in 1805, establishing the Amiri Press
.This press originally published works in Arabic and 
Ottoman Turkish, such as the first Egyptian newspaper Al-
Waqa'i' al-Misriyya. The printing press would radically
change Egypt's literary output.
 Nahda
• In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Arab world
 experienced al-Nahda, a cultural renaissance similar to 
that of Europe in the late Middle Ages. The Nahda movement
touched nearly all areas of life, including literature.

• Muhammad Abduh and Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī founded a short-

lived pan-Islamic revolutionary literary and political journal entitled 
Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa in 1884.

• Abduh was a major figure of Islamic modernism, and authored

influential works such as Risālat at-Tawḥīd (1897) and published 
Sharḥ Nahj al-Balagha (1911). In 1914 Muhammad Husayn Haykal
 wrote Zaynab, considered the first modern Egyptian as well as
Islamic novel.
20th century

• Two of the most important figures of

20th century Egyptian literature are Taha
Hussein and Naguib Mahfouz, the latter
of whom was the first Egyptian to win
the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• Edwar al-Kharrat, who embodied Egypt's
60s Generation, founded Galerie 68, an
Arabic literary magazine that gave voice
to avant-garde writers of the time.
Literature in the 21st century

• Since the creation of the prestigious International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF),

administered by the Booker Prize Foundation in London and funded by the
Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi , there have been 18 nominations for
Egyptian writers. Two IPAF awards were given consecutively to an Egyptian writer: in
2008, for Bahaa Taher's Sunset Oasis, and in 2009, for Yusuf Zeydan's Azazeel.

Literary language

• Most Egyptian authors write in Modern Standard Arabic. In order to render the way
Egyptians talk, some writers use local vernacular forms, such as Bayram al-Tunisi
 and Ahmed Fouad Negm, who wrote in Egyptian Arabic (Cairene), whereas 
Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi wrote in Sa'idi Arabic (Upper Egyptian).
Criticism on writers

• African authors who wrote in European languages were many

times accused of trying to cater for a western audience but the
true reason behind their intentions was to portray their experience
in a language that the oppressors could understand.