Africa consists of 54 nations, each of
these countries have their own history,
culture, tribes and traditions.
African literature pertains to 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 LITERATURE
WHAT IS AFRICAN
LITERATURE
AFRICAN ORAL
LITERATURE
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
It includes:
stories/folktales, riddles, histories,
myths, songs, proverbs
THE SLAVE NARRATIVES
The first African writings to gain
attention to 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
The first African writings to gain
attention to the West were the
poignant slave narratives
