UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI CENTRE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING

Transcription

1 UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI CENTRE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING ENG 115: Introduction to Modern African Litreture (2 Units) Course Facilitator: 1

2 STUDY GUIDE Course Code/ Title: Credit Units: Timing: Total hours of Study per each course material should be twenty Six hours (26hrs) at two hours per week within a given semester. You should plan your time table for study on the basis of two hours per course throughout the week. This will apply to all course materials you have. This implies that each course material will be studied for two hours in a week. Similarly, each study session should be timed at one hour including all the activities under it. Do not rush on your time, utilize them adequately. All activities should be timed from five minutes (5minut es) to ten minutes (10minutes). Observe the time you spent for each activity, whether you may need to add or subtract more minutes for the activity. You should also take note of your speed of completing an activity for the purpose of adjustment. Meanwhile, you should observe the one hour allocated to a study session. Find out whether this time is adequate or not. You may need to add or subtract some minutes depending on your speed. You may also need to allocate separate time for your self-assessment questions out of the remaining minutes from the one hour or the one hour Page 2 of 63

3 which was not used out of the two hours that can be utilized for your SAQ. You must be careful in utilizing your time. Your success depends on good utilization of the time given; because time is money, do not waste it. Reading: When you start reading the study session, you must not read it like a novel. You should start by having a pen and paper for writing the main points in the study session. You must also have dictionary for checking terms and concepts that are not properly explained in the glossary. Before writing the main points you must use pencil to underline those main points in the text. Make the underlining neat and clear so that the book is not spoiled for further usage. Similarly, you should underline any term that you do not understand its meaning and check for their meaning in the glossary. If those meanings in the glossary are not enough for you, you can use your dictionary for further explanations. When you reach the box for activity, read the question(s) twice so that you are sure of what the question ask you to do then you go back to the in-text to locate the answers to the question. You must be brief in answering those activities except when the question requires you to be detailed. Page 3 of 63

4 In the same way you read the in-text question and in-text answer carefully, making sure you understand them and locate them in the main text. Furthermore before you attempt answering the (SAQ) be sure of what the question wants you to do, then locate the answers in your in-text carefully before you provide the answer. Generally, the reading required you to be very careful, paying attention to what you are reading, noting the major points and terms and concepts. But when you are tired, worried and weak do not go into reading, wait until you are relaxed and strong enough before you engage in reading activities. Bold Terms: These are terms that are very important towards comprehending/understanding the in-text read by you. The terms are bolded or made darker in the sentence for you to identify them. When you come across such terms check for the meaning at the back of your book; under the heading glossary. If the meaning is not clear to you, you can use your dictionary to get more clarifications about the term/concept. Do not neglect any of the bold term in your reading because they are essential tools for your understanding of the in-text. Practice Exercises Page 4 of 63

5 a. Activity: Activity is provided in all the study sessions. Each activity is to remind you of the immediate facts, points and major informations you read in the in-text. In every study session there is one or more activities provided for you to answer them. You must be very careful in answering these activities because they provide you with major facts of the text. You can have a separate note book for the activities which can serve as summary of the texts. Do not forget to timed yourself for each activity you answered. b. In-text Questions and Answers: In-text questions and answers are provided for you to remind you of major points or facts. To every question, there is answer. So please note all the questions and their answers, they will help you towards remembering the major points in your reading. c. Self Assessment Question: This part is one of the most essential components of your study. It is meant to test your understanding of what you studied so you must give adequate attention in answering them. The remaining time from the two hours allocated for this study session can be used in answering the self- assessment question. Before you start writing answers to any questions under SAQ, you are expected to write down the major points related to the particular Page 5 of 63

6 question to be answered. Check those points you have written in the in-text to ascertain that they are correct, after that you can start explaining each point as your answer to the question. When you have completed the explanation of each question, you can now check at the back of your book, compare your answer to the solutions provided by your course writer. Then try to grade your effort sincerely and honestly to see your level of performance. This procedure should be applied to all SAQ activities. Make sure you are not in a hurry to finish but careful to do the right thing. e-tutors: The etutors are dedicated online teachers that provide services to students in all their programme of studies. They are expected to be twentyfour hours online to receive and attend to students Academic and Administrative questions which are vital to student s processes of their studies. For each programme, there will be two or more e-tutors for effective attention to student s enquiries. Therefore, you are expected as a student to always contact your e-tutors through their addresses or phone numbers which are there in your student hand book. Do not hesitate or waste time in contacting your e-tutors when in doubt about your learning. Page 6 of 63

7 You must learn how to operate , because ing will give you opportunity for getting better explanation at no cost. In addition to your e-tutors, you can also contact your course facilitators through their phone numbers and s which are also in your handbook for use. Your course facilitators can also resolve your academic problems. Please utilize them effectively for your studies. Continuous assessment The continuous assessment exercise is limited to 30% of the total marks. The medium of conducting continuous assessment may be through online testing, Tutor Marked test or assignment. You may be required to submit your test or assignment through your . The continuous assessment may be conducted more than once. You must make sure you participate in all C.A processes for without doing your C.A you may not pass your examination, so take note and be up to date. Examination All examinations shall be conducted at the University of Maiduguri Centre for Distance Learning. Therefore all students must come to the Centre for a period of one week for their examinations. Your preparation for examination may require you to look for course mates so that you form a group studies. Page 7 of 63

8 The grouping or Networking studies will facilitate your better understanding of what you studied. Group studies can be formed in villages and township as long as you have partners offering the same programme. Grouping and Social Networking are better approaches to effective studies. Please find your group. You must prepare very well before the examination week. You must engage in comprehensive studies. Revising your previous studies, making brief summaries of all materials you read or from your first summary on activities, in-text questions and answers, as well as on self assessment questions that you provided solutions at first stage of studies. When the examination week commences you can also go through your brief summarizes each day for various the courses to remind you of main points. When coming to examination hall, there are certain materials that are prohibited for you to carry ( i.e Bags, Cell phone, and any paper etc). You will be checked before you are allowed to enter the hall. You must also be well behaved throughout your examination period. Page 8 of 63

9 STUDY SESSION 1: MODERN AFRICAN LITERATURE AND HISTORICAL EXPERIENCES 1.1 INTRODUCTION You are welcome to this unit. In it you will learn that African literature as a discipline and as an object of serious critical comment has come into existence only in the last forty years or so (Nkosi 1981). The main themes of Modern African Literature are slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism. We will elaborate on this in the rest of the unit. 1.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this topic you should be able to: i. Define Modern African literature ii. Identify the relationship between African literature and historical experiences. 1.3 IN-TEXT MODERN AFRICAN LITERATURE AND HISTORICAL EXPERIENCES Literature as an expression of a people's consciousness in social situations is as old as man himself. From this perspective, African literature too can be said to be as old as the African people themselves. In the African context, this consciousness expressed in language formerly existed in oral form. Some of the oral texts now exist in written forms. These written texts and those that still exist in unwritten forms constitute the oral literature of the African people. One of the distinctive characteristics of oral literature is that "it is a collective experience of a people expressed collectively" (Ogude 1983:1). It is a kind of literature the Page 9 of 63

10 composition of which is inspired by situations and to which no single person can claim authorship. In the literature created for reading, there is always an author. This can be a novelist or a poet who "works with a particular literary tradition and grapples with "the problems of his society from personal understanding of such problems (Ibid). Modern African literature, which belongs to this written tradition of literature, is based on the European model of literature. It is a kind of literature that is based on book culture and a basically literate audience. Although there exist some works of African literature in the vernacular, "much of Modern African Literature is produced in European languages...because the population of Africans literate in any one of these languages in any African country is by far greater than those of any one single language (Ogude 1983:2). There is a close connection between history of imaginative literature in Africa and historical events. The history of Africa from the 18 th century to date is history of slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism. It also follows that history of Modern African literature is "the story against slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism Ogude 1983: 1). African responses to slavery and colonialism can be divided into two groups: Early responses and contemporary responses. Examples of early responses are the writings of ex-slaves in exile such as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano. The contemporary response can be found in the works of Achebe, Ngugi and Armah. The next lesson shall focus on the nature of these responses. 1.4 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY SESSION 1 The history of African literature goes back to oral tradition. But African Literature is related to the history of slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism. Therefore the themes of Modern African Page 10 of 63

11 Literature are informed by the responses to the historical realities of slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism. These responses are categorized into modern and contemporary. ITQ: what is the relationship between African literature and African history? ITA: there is a close relationship between history of imaginative literature in Africa and historical events. The history of Africa from 18 th C to date, is history of slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism. According, the history of modern African literature the story of Africa`s struggle against slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism. 1.5 SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE REFERENCE 1. List two characteristics of oral literature. 2 List two characteristics of modern African literature. Nkosi, Lewis (1981) Tasks and Masks: Themes and Styles of African Literature. Longman. Page 11 of 63

12 STUDY SESSION 2: EARLY RESPONSES TO SLAVERY AND COLONIALISM (1) 2.1 INTRODUCTION The relationship between African literature and African historical experiences is characterized by slavery and colonialism. The nature of responses to the experiences as contained in black literary works can be grouped into early and contemporary. 2.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this topic you should be able to: i. Explain the early responses by writers of African origin to slavery and colonialism. ii. Describe two writers who are chosen to illustrate the points in this topic. 2.3 IN-TEXT EARLY RESPONSES TO SLAVERY AND COLONIALISM (1) Indeed, the story of the development of black writing in modern European languages is part of the history of black contact with the modern European world (Ogude 1983:3). In other words, earlier writers were of slave origin and their writings were a response to the history of Slave Trade and the brutalities that went with it. Although the style in which the blacks wrote was largely imitations of the forms of literary genres of the eighteenth century, they evolved a unique tradition which has been regarded as protest literature. It was a kind of literature that was related to anti-slavery movement, which is comparable to the modern protest literature represented by anticolonialist and anti-apartheid writings. Page 12 of 63

13 The early writings of slaves appeared in various forms. Some were represented by occasional verses, some by rhetorical addresses, others by pure propaganda, pseudo-realistic voyage tales and the chit-chat of the epistolary form (Ogude 1983:20). Those writers wrote to their white audience who viewed them with astonishment and sometimes even contempt. Although they cannot be said to have influenced African writers of the contemporary period, their writings have affinity to the contemporary writing in their presentation of themes that have definite African slant, in their expression of a concern for African society, an African way of life, for African man (Ogude 1983:21). This shows that Modern African Literature is related to early writings of the black people in exile in content and thought. Practical example can be seen in the excerpts of works from Phillis Wheatley and Francis Williams, as follows PHILLIS WHEATLEY She was the first creative talent that emerged among those of slave origin. She lived most her life in Boston. She was brought to America in 1761 and bought in a slave market by John Wheately and his wife. Mary, the daughter of the Wheatley family became her teacher. She learnt Latin and English literature of that period. Phillis was known and respected as a poet. Her poems were modeled after poets like Milton, with religious undertones. Some of her poems however reveal spirit of rebelliousness. One of such is entitled To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth. As the following lines show, the poem suggests attack on the British government of those days: No more America, in mournful strain Of wrongs, and grievance unredress d complain, Page 13 of 63

14 No longer shall thou dread the iron chain Which wanton Tyranny with lawless hand Had made, and with it meant t enslave the land. In the following stanza Phillis casts her mind back to Africa and reflects the pain of separation and the cruelty of slavery. Should you, my lord, while you peruse my song, Wonder from where my love of Freedom sprung, Whence flow these wishes for the common good, By feeling hearts alone best understood I, young in life, by seeming cruel fate Was snatched from Afrc s fancy d happy seat: What pangs excruciating must molest, What sorrows labour in my parent s breast? Steel d was that soul and by no misery mov d That from a father seiz d his babe belov d: Such, such my case. And can I then but pray Others may never feel tyrannic sway? Page 14 of 63

15 FRANCIS WILLIAMS He was well known in both England and the West Indies in the 1750s. He wrote a long ode, upon which his reputation rests till today. The ode was dedicated to George Haldane, a leading political figure in the British Imperial Authority. Williams s poems constantly refer to the issue of colour and contain emotionally charged words, which are signs of tension, inferiority complex, the myth of racial superiority and protest. In the lines below, quoted from the ode, although he confesses his blackness, he also makes clear the black man s claim to humanity. Yet may you deign to accept this humble song Tho wraps in gloom, and from a falt ring tongue; Tho dark the stream on which the tribute flows Not from the skin, but from the heart it rose. To all human kind, benignant heaven (Science nought forbids) the one common soul has giv n. This rule was stablished by th Eternal Mind; Nor virtue self, nor prudence are confin d To colour; none imbrues the honest heart; To science none belongs and none to art. 2.4SUMMARY OF THE STUDY SESSION 2 In this lesson you have learnt that the development of black writing in modern European languages is part of the history of black contact with the modern European world, and that the first responses to slavery and colonialism came from ex-slaves living outside Africa. Furthermore, although the works of these early writers were fashioned Page 15 of 63

16 after the forms of literary genres of the eighteenth century, they evolved a unique tradition which has been regarded as protest literature. It was a kind of literature that was related to anti-slavery movement, which is comparable to the modern protest literature represented by anti-colonialist and anti-apartheid writings. The nature of these responses has been illustrated with excerpts from poems of Phillis Wheatley and Francis Williams. In the next unit, you will study the nature of the responses to slavery and colonialism by contemporary African writers. ITQ who are the early writers and what was the focus of their writings? ITA the earlier writers were of slave origin and their writings were a response to the history of slave trade and the brutalities that went with it. Notable among the writers are Phillis Wheatley and Francis Williams. 2.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1. Explain the connection between slavery and the literary works by black writers in Europe and America. 2. What is the main feature of the style of literary works by black writers in Europe and America. REFERENCE Ogude, S.E. (1983) Genius in Bondage. A Study of the Origins of African Literature in English. Ile-Ife. University of Ife Press. Page 16 of 63

17 STUDY SESSION 3: EARLY RESPONSES TO SLAVERY AND COLONIALISM (2) 3.1 INTRODUCTION The early responses to Slavery and Slave Trade in the writings of the black are reflected in the stories they wrote about their lives and the letters they had written in their times. Good examples of these are contained in the wrings of Olaudah Equiano and Ignatius Sancho 3.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this topic you should be able to: i. Discuss more about the early responses by writers of African origin to slavery and colonialism. ii. Describe the two more writers chosen for further illustration. They are Olaudah Equiano and Ignatius Sancho EARLY RESPONSES TO SLAVERY AND COLONIALISM (2) OLAUDAH EQUIANO OR GUSTAVUS VASSA Olaudah Equiano was kidnapped by slave raiders along with his younger sister some time in 1755/56, when he was about ten years old. He was shipped to Britain in 1757 and died there around Before his death he had traveled widely, journeys that took him to West Indies, America, Turkey, Portugal and the Mediterranean. The Ex-slaves in those days felt the ambiguity of their positions as blacks in a strange world and expressed this feeling even in the ambiguity of their names (Ogude 1987:120). Olaudah Equiano s African name is Gustavus Vassa which he mostly Page 17 of 63

18 displayed alongside Olaudah Equiano. He also added the phrase The African to his name. In 1789 Equiano s publication, which has been described as one long catalogue of the black man s misfortune (Ogude 1991:4) entitled: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa was published. The book appeared in the heat of the anti-slavery campaign in Britain and it was found to be an interesting narrative that attacked slavery and Slave Trade. In the popular nineteenth century literary form, Equiano s narrative can be categorized as a voyage literature. Although many people in the eighteenth century considered the book as antislavery propaganda, it also contains literary qualities. For example, an African critic described it as a historical fiction (Ogude 1987:132). The same critic also observed that Equiano s romantic recollection of African society has its roots deep in the world of fiction (ibid). The publication has also fictional characteristics because one can identify Equiano as narrator and commentator. As Ogude has observed the narrator tends to be fictional in his accounts while the commentator shows evidence of the historical man (1987: 133). Furthermore, Ogude observes that the story about his early life in Africa is an imaginative reorganization of a wide variety of tales about Africa from equally wide range of sources (1987: 133) IGNATIUS SANCHO He was born around 1729 on board a slave ship. He was presented to two sisters at the age of two. He was baptized in South America, where he was given the name Ignatius. The two sisters added Sancho to his name, because they thought they saw some resemblance between him and Sancho Panza, the servant of Don Quixote. In those days it Page 18 of 63

19 was not uncommon to give names from classical literature and mythology to young blacks (Ogude 1987: 87). Sancho became educated when he entered the service of Duke of Montague. By 1751 Sancho was middle class man in London. In the 18 th century, letter writing was a popular literary activity and Sancho s literary qualities are in his letters, which he wrote between 1768 and In some of the letters he showed, by his direct and indirect references to classics, that he was conversant with the English literature of the period. He became the most distinguished black literary figure in the eighteenth century (Ogude 1987). 3.4SUMMARY OF THE STUDY SESSION 3 In this lesson you have learnt about the early responses by writers of African origin to slavery and colonialism in the writings of Olaudah Equiano and Ignatius Sancho You have also learnt that the responses were contained in their written narratives and letters. ITQ how did the early black writers respond to the issue of slavery and slave trade? ITA the early responses to slave trade in the writings of black are reflected in the stories they wrote about their lives and the letters they had written in their times. Good examples of these are contained in the writings of Olaudah Equino and Ignatius Sancho. 3.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1. Explain the nature of Equiano s story about his early life in Africa. REFERENCE Ogude, S.E. (1983) Genius in Bondage. A Study of the Origins of African Literature in English. Ile-Ife. University of Ife Press. Page 19 of 63

20 STUDY SESSION 4: RESPONSES TO COLONIALISM BY CONTEMPORARY WRITERS (1) 4.1 INTRODUCTION Generally a record of the history of African past and present has characterized the response by contemporary writers to colonialism. This is done by celebration of the glories of the African past, ancestor worship, respect for the dead and dramatization of the consequences of colonialism on the individual and the society. Good examples of the response can be seen in the writings of Chinua Achebe of Nigeria and Ngugi Wa Thiong o of Kenya. Chinua Achebe calls himself ancestor worshipper and some of his novels pose the problem of the man divided between past and present, between Africa and Europe, who venerates the African past and attempts to reconcile the conflicting forces in the present (Dathorne 1975: 67). 4.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this topic you should be able to: i. Appreciate the nature of response to colonialism with reference to some novels of Chinua Achebe RESPONSES TO COLONIALISM BY CONTEMPORARY WRITERS CHINUA ACHEBE S THINGS FALL APART (1958) Chinua Achebe s first novel that deals with the problem of culture conflict is Things Fall Apart. In it, he takes the reader into typical Igbo society before the arrival of the white man. The story centres on Okonkwo, a man determined to be a successful Page 20 of 63

21 farmer. But his greatness depends on his physical strength, a virtue, which Dathorne (1975: 67) has described as belonging to a dying age. In the novel, Okonkwo succeeds in his ambition to gain prominence. But the driving force behind his success is fear of failure. He does not want to be like his father, who was lazy and owed a lot of debt in cowries to people. This fear also brings his downfall, because it sometimes makes himself behave irrationally and callously. For example, against traditional ethics, he beats one of his wives during the Week of Peace. Furthermore, he at one time fires a gun at his second wife, who narrowly escapes death. Over and above all, because of fear of being thought weak, he kills a small boy who had been entrusted to his care (Dathorne 1975: ibid). In the first few chapters of the novel the reader is introduced into a well organized society in which decisions upon matters concerning it were the collective responsibility of the people. In the other parts of the novel, the reader is shown a picture of the same society declining. The group spirit which had kept the Igbo society has been undermined by colonial intervention. Typical example of this decline in group spirit is the helpless situation in which Okonkwo found himself when he opposed the white man s rule. At the end he commits suicide. The suicide has been described by critics as symbolizing the death of the traditional Ibo society (Ogude 1991: 7). Achebe however, also shows that the decline of the traditional culture must not be attributed to the arrival of the white man alone. Even before the white man came, he shows that there were elements of disintegration in the society. Page 21 of 63

22 The novel is remarkable not only because of its documentation of Igbo social background, but also for its incorporation of proverbs and folktales which, as Dathorne has noted help to give a flavor of authenticity to the writing (1975: 68) CHINUA ACHEBE S NO LONGER AT EASE (1961) In this novel Achebe portrays the conflict between traditional and African values. The conflict is revealed in the life of the main character, Obi Okonkwo. Okonkwo represents the emergent educated individual who found difficulty in observing colonial moral code of service and integrity and the traditional demands of group cohesion and responsibility (Ogude ibid). The failure o f Okonkwo to obey the codes of conduct of colonial service and integrity by taking bribes foreshadows the failure of the new political group in sustaining democracy CHINUA ACHEBE S A MAN OF THE PEOPLE (1966) In this novel, Achebe pursues the theme of corruption and failure by creating characters such as the politician, Chief the Honourable M.A Nanga, M.P and Minister for Culture and Odili Samalu, a teacher. Achebe shows that in a society where the likes of Chief Nanga are rulers, the idealistic views and actions of Odili do not carry weight. The novel ends with a change of government from civilian to military. Some critics have described this as indicative of the fact that the failure of democratic governments in Africa may be due to its lack of indigenous roots (Ogude ibid). On the whole, this novel has been described as a satire of the new democratic institution in Africa, just as Achebe s more recent novel Anthills of the Savanna has been described as a satirical comment on the military regimes that have become a feature of the African political experience (Ogude ibid). Page 22 of 63

23 4.4 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY SESSION 4 In this lesson you have learnt the nature and extent of the response to colonialism by contemporary writers with examples from some novels of Chinua Achebe. In the next lesson, you shall get more examples on the same topic in the novels of Ngugi. ITQ How do subsequent African writers respond to the problem of colonialism in their writing. ITA contemporary African writers condemn colonialism for the disruption it brought to the African social life. This is done by celebrating the glories of the African past, ancestor worship, respect for the dead and dramatization of the ugly consequences of colonialism on the individual and the society. 4.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1. Explain how fear of failure has affected Okonkwo s life. 2. What does Okonkwo s suicide symbolize? REFERENCE Ogude, S.E. (1983) Genius in Bondage. A Study of the Origins of African Literature in English. Ile-Ife. University of Ife Press. Dathorn, O.R. (1975) African Literature in the Twentieth Centuary. London: Heinemann Page 23 of 63

24 STUDY SESSION 5: RESPONSES BY CONTEMPORARY WRITERS TO COLONIALISM (2) 5.1 INTRODUCTION Ngugi Wa Thiango is a Kenyan novelist and playwright. His literary works represent imaginative recollection of the history of the coming of Europeans to Kenya, the people s struggle for independence through the Mau Mau movement. They also reflect the neocolonialism experienced after independence. 5.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this topic you should be able to: i. Understand the nature of response to colonialism with reference to some novels of Ngugi wa Thiong o. 5.3 IN-TEXT RESPONSES BY CONTEMPORARY WRITERS OF AFRICAN ORIGIN TO COLONIALISM (2) NGUGI S NOVELS The River Between (1965) This is Ngugi s first attempt to document the cultural history of Kenya. Although Ngugi wrote the novel in 1964, it was not published until The novel dramatizes the conflict between two factions of a clan. The conflict is between African tradition and Western values. The root of the rivalry is traced to promises made to the Gikuyu people in their Creation Myth. Ngugi examines the influence of the European over the traditional life of the people and explores ways of reconciling the factions. Page 24 of 63

25 Weep Not Child (1964) This novel, which appeared first, deals with a subject matter that belongs to the period after the Second World War, when nationalist feelings were high in Kenya. The nationalist sentiments led to the birth of the Mau Mau emergency. The novel depicts the effect of the emergency on the three families: those of Ngotho, Howlands (a white settler -farmer) and Jocob (a Kenyan landowner). It tells a story of family separation, depravation, violence and disillusionment during the Kenyan struggle for independence. The story is told by Njoroge, Ngotho s youngest son. The major themes of the novel are the appropriateness of a young Kenyan acquiring Western education, the influence of Christianity in Kenya and the struggle for independence by the people (Killam1980) A Grain of Wheat (1967) This is Ngugi s most popular novel. It portrays, by the use of flash backs, lives of different characters who have been influenced by the past. Furthermore, the novel shows that even the present condition of the people can be interpreted as representative of the past. The major characters in the novel is Gikonyo and Mumbi, husband and wife. The couple is symbolic of African tradition. They are viewed as mythical characters. Their human counterparts are Karanja and Mugo who use the Mau Mau struggle for independence as a means for power and prestige. In the end, Mugo and Karanja are found to be betrayers. Ngugi also includes the post independence ministers as belonging to the same group of betrayers. Page 25 of 63

26 In spite of all these, the novel suggests that traditional order can be restored by a recognition of ancient values and that the future of Kenya is not hopeless. This is symbolically represented by a stool carved by Gikonyo to Mumbi, with a figure of pregnant woman on it (Dathorne 1975: 130). 5.4SUMMARY OF THE STUDY SESSION 5 In this lesson you have learnt the nature and extent of the response to colonialism by contemporary writers with examples from some novels of Ngugi. ITQ what are the major themes of Ngugi`s novels? ITA Ngugi`s literary works are imaginative recollection of the history of the coming of Europeans to Kenya. They treat the themes of independence struggle by Kenyan, race and class discrimination by the colonialists, and neo-colonial experience after independence. 5.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1. What is the main cause of the conflict between the two clans in The River Between? 2. Mention three major themes of Weep Not, Child. REFERENCES Dathorne, O.R (1975) African Literature in the Twentieth Century. London: Heinemann. Killam, G.D (1980) Introduction to the Writings of Ngugi. London: Heinemann. Page 26 of 63

27 STUDY SESSION 6: MODERN WEST AFRICAN NOVELS: THE FIRST 6.1 INTRODUCTION AND THE SECOND GENERATIONS The novel as a literary form is not indigenous to Africa. What existed in Africa were poetry and drama, which performed certain functions within the oral tradition. The first novels were therefore anthropological in nature. In other words, they were characterized by descriptions of cultural scenes and events. There wasn t much characterization, nor were there many themes of protest. Even the few were stereotypes. Examples of first generation novels are R.E Obeng s Eighteenpence and Casely-Hayford s Ethiopia Unbound. To the second generation belong works like those of Chinua Achebe, T. M. Aluko, Cyprian Ekwensi, Gabriel Okara and Amos Tutuola. 6.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES At end of this topic you should be able to: i. Understand the subject matter of the first and the second generations of West African novels. ii. Appreciate the use of language by the authors of the novels. iii. Illustrate the topic through: R.E Obeng s Eighteen pence, Casely-Hayford s Ethiopia Unbound, Amos Tutuola s The Palm-Wine Drinkard and T. M. Aluko s One Man, One Wife. Page 27 of 63

28 6.3 IN-TEXT MODERN WEST AFRICAN NOVELS: THE FIRST AND THE SECOND GENERATIONS FIRST GENERATION NOVELS The beginning of the West African novel can be traced to Ghanaian writers. Examples of their works are R.E Obeng s Eighteenpence and C.Casely-Hayford s Ethiopia Unbound R.E OBENG S EIGHTEENPENCE The book was published in It contains a story about a man called Arofi. Arofi buys a cutlass on credit from someone for eighteen pence and agrees to work on his creditor s farm for free. He soon gets into trouble because the man s wife accuses him of attempting to rape her. The book continues detailing procedures of court. Arofi is portrayed as a symbol of virtue, against whom the novel also features another character called Konaduwa who is a symbol of opposition to authority CASELY-HAYFORD S ETHIOPIA UNBOUND This novel was written in The writer takes the reader to several places including the underworld. The main character is called Kwamankra. The novel is a documentation of uncertainties surrounding the author and his generation. It has been described as a literary expression of a wide variety of ideas such as Christianity, traditional belief, education, love and death (Dathorne 1975:54) SECOND GENERATION NOVELS AMOS TUTUOLA S THE PALM-WINE DRINKARD (1952) Page 28 of 63

29 The Palm-Wine Drinkard was the first published novel in Nigeria. It is also the first novel to incorporate African mythology into modern art form. Tutuola used imagination to modernize African folklore into written literature. The story is about a man addicted to palm wine drinking, whose palm wine tapper has died. The man goes in search of the tapper in the world of the dead. The setting of the novel is in the town and the bush. The main character undergoes a number of adventures, including capturing Death, overcoming the Skull, bringing back a woman held by the Skull and marrying the woman. In the long run the man and his wife came to the Death s Town where they meet the tapper. However they are not able to go with him. Instead he gave them a magic egg, which was later used to save the people of their town from famine. The language of the novel is unique. This is because it is a mixture of what can be called broken English (not pidgin) with Standard English. This made it easy for readers in Europe to understand and appreciate the story. In Africa, however, this style was vehemently attacked. The novel is also unique in the sense that the characters, as Dathorne (1975) has observed, are fully involved in the events of the story and are not on the brink of cultural dilemma, as seen in other novels of the same generation T. M. ALUKO S ONE MAN, ONE WIFE (1959) The novel is a collection of amusing episodes. The subject matter is struggle between Christianity and traditional religion. The setting is in a village. The chief characters in the novel are Reverends David and Royasin, through whom priests are satirized. Royasin gets dismissed from the church because he is accused of being Page 29 of 63

30 responsible for the pregnancy of the wife of a convert, Jocob. He changes his name to Royanson and attempts to make himself a public letter writer. The novel is full of humour and satirizes not only the priests but also the villagers are depicted as fond of assembling to drink palm-wine no matter what the occasion (Dathorne 1975:77). 6.4SUMMARY OF THE STUDY SESSION 6 R.E Obeng s Eighteenpence and Casely-Hayford s Ethiopia Unbound belong to the first generation of novels in West Africa. R.E Obeng s Eighteenpence was published in The book contains a story about a man called Arofi. Arofi buys a cutlass on credit from someone for eighteen pence and agrees to work on his creditor s farm for free. Arofi is portrayed as a symbol of virtue, against whom the novel also features another character called Konaduwa who is a symbol of opposition to authority. Casely-Hayford s Ethiopia Unbound takes the reader to several places including the underworld. The main character is called Kwamankra. The novel is a documentation of uncertainties surrounding the author and his generation. Amos Tutuola s The Palm-Wine Drinkard and T. M. Aluko s One Man, One Wife are examples of second generation novels. The Palm-Wine Drink is also the first novel to incorporate African mythology into modern art form. Tutuola used imagination to modernize African folklore into written literature. The story is about a man addicted to palm wine drinking, whose palm wine tapper has died. The man goes in search of the tapper in the world of the dead. The setting of the novel is in the town and the bush. Page 30 of 63

31 The language of the novel is unique. This is because it is a mixture of what can be called broken English (not pidgin) with Standard English and the characters do not exhibit cultural uncertainty, as seen in other novels of the same generation. M. Aluko s One Man, One Wife is a collection of amusing episodes. The subject matter of the book is struggle between Christianity and traditional religion. The novel is full of humour, satirizing the priests and the villagers. ITQ how would you describe the early novel in Africa? ITA the early novels written in Africa can be described as anthropological in nature. In other words, they were characterized by description of cultural scenes and events. There wasn t much characterization, nor were there many political themes. 6.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1. Explain the root of the conflict in R.E Obeng s Eighteenpence. 2. Summarize the content of any other West African novel of the first generation. 3. Explain the root of the conflict in Amos Tutuola s The Palm-Wine Drinkard. REFERENCE Dathorne, O.R (1975) African Literature in the Twentieth Century. London: Heinemann Page 31 of 63

32 STUDY SESSION 7: THEMES AND STYLES OF SOUTH AND EAST AFRICAN NOVELS 7.1 INTRODUCTION As in the West African novels, the novels of South, East and even Central Africa have similar themes. For example, the earlier novels present a record of the African past, characterized by descriptions of landscapes and cultural activities. The novels of latter generation are often concerned with social and political issues. In South Africa, for example, the novelists concerned themselves with freedom from the former apartheid regime. 7.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this topic you should be able to i. Understand the main themes and styles of the novels of South and East Africa. ii. Appreciate the main themes and styles of the novels of South and East Africa. 7.3 IN-TEXT THEMES AND STYLES OF SOUTH AND EAST AFRICAN NOVELS LEGSON KAYIRA S THE LOOMING SHADOW (1968) Legson Kayira was born in a village in the former Nyasaland (now Malawi). In addition to the The Looming Shadow he has also published another novel entitled Jingala (1970). The Looming Shadow is about village life, which was described as changing while the shadow of the past lingers (Zell and Silver 1972: 146). The novel, whose Page 32 of 63

33 main theme is the conflict between the new and the old, also contains descriptions of rural cultural activities. The landscape of the village is also fully described TABAN LO LIYONG S EATING CHIEFS (1970) This writer is Ugandan. The Eating Chiefs is part of a cultural research he undertook in the University College Nairobi. In writing the book the writer used African cultural heritage. The writer believes in the use of European language to describe African experience. He is not therefore among the writers who show total rejection to the use of foreign language PETER ABRAHAM S MINE BOY (1946) Peter Henri Abraham was born in Johannesburg to an Ethiopian father and a Coloured mother. His novel Mine Boy is a story of a boy called Xuma. Xuma comes to the city from a village and ends up a vagabond. He finds a job as a mine worker, where he and others worked hard for little pay. At a point in time, he revolts, refusing to enter the mine and persuading his colleagues to act the same way, and they did. The novel depicts the suffering of the people, amidst moral and physical scholar. Nevertheless, the writer shows that beneath the suffering and squalor there is a warm, thick, dark blanket of life (Dathorne 1975: 146) ALEX LAGUMA S THE STONE COUNTRY (1967) Alex Laguma s father, Jimmy Laguma, was a politician. Alex also became a politician with communist ideology. He was arrested several times and The Stone Country describes prison experiences and the apartheid life of violence and dehumanization. The prison is presented as a microcosm of the larger apartheid society. Page 33 of 63

34 Part of the dehumanization is portrayed in the condition of the prison inmates, some of whom were viewed as animals. For example, Butcherboy Williams, one of the characters is variously addressed as Jackal, Hyena and Ape. 7.4 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY SESSION 7 The main themes of the novels of South and East Africa were those of cultural heritage and conflict between the new and the old societal values, or between traditional African values and imported Western values. In South African novels, however, the predominant theme is that of freedom from the former apartheid system of government. ITQ what are the main themes of the novels of South and East Africa? ITA The novels of South, East and even Central Africa have similar themes. Their early novelists were concerned with the documentation of the African past, characterized by descriptions of landscapes and cultural activities, while the novels of the later generation are often concerned with social and political issues. 7.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE - Summarize in one sentence, the main themes of the South or East African novel studied in this unit. REFERENCES Dathorne, O.R (1975) African Literature in the Twentieth Century. London: Heinemann Nkosi, Lewis (1981) Tasks and Masks: Themes and Styles of African Literature. London: Longman. Page 34 of 63

35 STUDY SESSION 8: MODERN AFRICAN POETRY: INTRODUCTION 8.1 INTRODUCTION Modern African poetry refers to the poems by Africans composed in European languages. The poems varied in their content, theme and style. The variation was dictated by the social and historical circumstances of the artists and the societies in which they lived. 8.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this topic you should be able to: i. Get some ideas about the development, themes and styles of modern African poetry. 8.3 IN-TEXT MODERN AFRICAN POETRY: INTRODUCTION Unlike the tradition of novel writing, which was largely imported to Africa from outside, the tradition of poetic composition has been existing in Africa since time immemorial. In other words, many forms of poetry had existed and still exist in oral or unwritten forms in Africa. Nevertheless, like the African novel, the development of modern African poetry can be traced to Africans who lived in exile in Europe and exslaves in the New World. The content, themes and styles of modern African poetry varied. The first forms of poetry, like the novels, were largely imitations of European tradition. Their subject matter and tone varied from those who accepted European values and those who showed some form of protest. Page 35 of 63

36 The development of modern African poetry in Africa was encouraged by the introduction of western education and the written script. The introduction of the printing press was also a major factor. In other words, when some Africans acquired western education and learnt the history of slavery and colonialism, they started to compose poems about their experiences and those of their ancestors. The introduction of the printing press also encouraged the practice of composing poems. Most of the earlier poets became interested in expressing African identity and dignity. Generally, they used imageries of unity and homecoming to express social and political solidarity among Africans. In some cases, even European images were used to express African experience. Examples of this kind of technique can be found in Wole Soyinka s poems. Modern African poetry is simple in style. It avoids the use of difficult language and metrical composition. It does not also focus much on international models. It largely focuses on local, national and Pan-African models. Furthermore, the simplicity of style and richness of content of modern African poetry make it similar to the indigenous poems of oral tradition. 8.4SUMMARY OF THE STUDY SESSION 8 Modern African poetry, like the novel, originated outside. But tradition of poetic composition has existed in Africa since time immemorial. The content, themes and styles of modern African poetry varied. The first forms of poetry, like the novels, were largely imitations of European tradition. Their subject matter and tone however varied from those who accepted European values and those who showed some form of protest. Page 36 of 63

37 Western education and the printing press encouraged the development of modern African poetry. Most of the earlier poets expressed African identity and dignity. Later the poets also used imageries of unity and homecoming to express social economic and political issues. In terms of style, modern African poetry is simple, rich in content and similar to the indigenous poems of oral tradition. ITQ Define the term modern African Poetry ITA Modern African poetry refers to the poems by African artist written in European languages, reflecting the cultural beliefs, social experiences and historical circumstances of the African people. 8.5 SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1. Mention two factors that encouraged the development of Modern African poetry. REFERENCE Goodwin, Ken (1982) Understanding African Poetry. A Study of Ten Poets. London: Heinemann. Page 37 of 63

38 STUDY SESSION 9: THEMES AND STYLES OF MODERN AFRICAN POETRY: THE PIONEERS 9.1 INTRODUCTION Modern African poetry is a broad field covering poems written in English, French and Portuguese. Different social, cultural and political pressures influenced the poetry. The themes and styles reveal the diversity and unity of the African condition. The study of Modern African Poetry can be divided into two: The Pioneers and the Moderns. The themes and styles of poets of the two groups vary. Some imitated European styles while others portray originality of style and relevance of theme to their background and experience. The prominent features of the pioneer poets are: imitation of European styles of composition, lack of regard for their African background and glorification of Western values. 9.2 LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this topic you should be able to: i. Understand the major themes and styles of Modern African Poetry of the first generation THEMES AND STYLES OF MODERN AFRICAN POETRY: THE PIONEERS THE PIONEERS The beginning can be traced to African exiles in Europe and slaves and exslaves in the New World (Nkosi 1981: 108). Sl avery initiated a new consciousness among Africans. Slaves became educated and tried their hands in the arts of their masters. Some of these were Juan Latino, Philis Wheateley, Olaudah Equianao, Ignatius Sancho Page 38 of 63

39 and Ottalah Cuguanao. Some Africans also produced poems, notable examples are B.W. Vilakazi and H.I.E. Dhlomo of South Africa and Dennis Chukude Osadebay of Nigeria JUAN LATINO Juan Latino was brought with his mother to Spain in the 16 th century at the age of twelve. He studied poetry, music and medicine. Married to a daughter of Spanish noble man, he wrote poems in standard Latin praising important personalities, including clergy men and aristocrats. His praise poetry reveals a connection with African style of panegyrics. But it can also be connected to the widespread practice in those days of writing laudatory poems on powerful personalities. Although he seemed to have integrated into the Spanish society, his poems portray his sense of identity as African. In a poem addressed to the Pope, Latino portrays awareness of racial identity as follows: For if the Blackness of our king offends your official ministers Your whiteness does not delight the men of Ethiopia There, whoever in his whiteness visits the East is scorned, And there are black leaders; the king too is black Queen Candace and her race of black ministers Had sent her son in a chariot to Christ (Nkosi 1981: 109). His works reveal unconditional acceptance of Christianity and Spanish patriotism. For example, in one of his poems he said: Famous Philip, you are my protector against the Turks/ Reigning as a catholic, you have been accustomed to defend our countries, and in a more holy way to cherish the Faith (Nkosi 1981: 110). Page 39 of 63