DR. BAYO ADEBOWALE
HONOUR FOR A PROPHET
IN HIS HOMELAND!
Bayo Adebowale,the accomplished African Novelist and Poet will on Saturday,4th March 2017 be honoured with the prestigeous Chieftaincy title of ONIGEGE ARA OF IGBO-ELERIN by the Igbo-Elerin Council of Baales. This is a well-deserved honour coming from the Literary Icon’s kith and kin….
What a feat!
Congratulations, author of The Virgin, Out Of His Mind,Lonely Days, A New Life, Talent, African Melody, Oriki,Village Harvest, and A Night of Incantations!
Archive for the ‘AFRICAN LITERATURE’ Category
BAYO ADEBOWALE HONOURED IN HIS OWN LAND!-A GREAT AFRICAN WRITER WILL TAKE HIS 4TH CHIEFTANCY TITLE!!!
February 25, 2017BAYO ADEBOWALE’S LATEST HOT POETRY BOOK IS OUT! -THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A POETRY BOOK LIKE THIS ON AFRICA BEFORE! -GET YOUR COPY NOW!
February 24, 2012Friday, February 24, 2012
BAYO ADEBOWALE’S LATEST GREAT POETRY BOOK IS OUT ! -“AFRICAN MELODY: A POETIC EXPOSITION OF THE AFRICAN ESSENCE” ! – GET YOUR COPY NOW ! -IT’S HISTORIC AND THERE HAS NEVER HAS BEEN ANY POETRY BOOK LIKE THIS BEFORE ON AFRICA!
Friday, February 24, 2012
BAYO ADEBOWALE’S LATEST GREAT POETRY BOOK IS OUT ! -“AFRICAN MELODY: A POETIC EXPOSITION OF THE AFRICAN ESSENCE” ! – GET YOUR COPY NOW ! -IT’S HISTORIC AND THERE HAS NEVER HAS BEEN ANY POETRY BOOK LIKE THIS BEFORE ON AFRICA!
YORUBA!-SAVE YORUBA LANGUAGE BY USING IT EVERYWHERE YOU CAN,WRITING IT,READING IT,SPEAKING IT TO YOUR CHILDREN ONLY AT HOME,AND HAVING “BEST YORUBA SPEAKING CONTESTS” AT EVERY EVENT YOU CAN(IGBEYAWO,IPADE ATI GBOGBE!)-FEMI OSOFISAN HAS TRANSLATED THIS PLAY INTO YORUBA FOR GOMINA FASOLA, TUNDE KELANI ATI GBOGBO WON OMO YORUBA!
October 19, 2010FROM thenationonlineng.net
Old play, new language
Edozie Udeze 17/10/2010 00:00:00
Who is Afraid of Solarin? a play by Professor Femi Osofisan, has always been a symbolic one. It is so because it is a comic treatise on what makes Nigeria and Nigerians unique. In the play, Osofisan uses plenty of comic scenes and statements to portray the story of a society where things work upside down. The name Solarin is used symbolically because of his role in trying to give a better direction to Nigerians and to the Nigerian state. The play chronicles Nigeria’s many socio-political problems in such a way that the audience are made to feel the impact while the play is on stage. You can’t help but laugh and hiss and then wonder the sort of society Nigeria is and why the people are what they are.
This was why it was selected as the independence play this year by the trio of Mufu Onifade, Tunde Kelani and the Lagos State government. However, the play which was translated into the Yoruba language by Dotun Ogundeji as Yeepa! Solaarin Nbo!!, is meant to send home the message to the larger Yoruba theatre audience.
In this new experiment, the message is supposed to sink deeper, so that people who love to see the lighter side of Nigerian myriad of problems dramatized on stage, would have a better view of it. The few days the play was on stage in Lagos last week proved that a lot of people were really eager to laugh away the problems of the society. Not only that the artistes led by Ropo Ewenla were on top of their game on stage, the large turnout of theatre lovers showed that the choice of the play was apt and appropriate.
To make the play appeal more to the audience, the producers introduced an opening glee. This marriage of convenience between opening glee and full-length drama presentation was Mainframe and National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) Lagos chapter’s synergetic way of joining the Lagos State government in celebrating the 50th independence anniversary of Nigeria. This way, there was no moment of boredom. The artistes were able to appeal to the audience to wake up to the realities of the moment; to make Nigeria great.
Is this Nigeria of our dreams in 1960? That seemed to be the question raised on stage by the actors. Ewenla, the lead character was able to convince the audience that we need to do more; we need to work harder and be more honest to make Nigeria a better place for all and sundry.
Yeepa! Is an exclamation that something hilarious or ominous is about to happen and that people should sit up to welcome it. This situation calls for an acclaim, calling the Nigerian people that there are more than meet the eye. Solarin was an enigma of some sort when he was alive. Although the name is hyperbolic in a way, it goes to portray a visionary leader who saw long before now what the Nigerian society portended. Now the play in his name says it all.
Anywhere this play goes on stage, the euphoric appeal it gives leaves much to be desired. The Yoruba version of it also did much more; the message seeped deeper into the fabric of the audience whose laughter and hisses tore deep into the night. And so, it is kudos to Onifade for his sense of humour and wisdom. The play truly helped to embellish the mood of the moment and bring Nigerians back to that moment of reflection.
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Your name: Your e-mail address: Your website: Add your comments: YORUBA LANGUAGE IS DYING ALONG WITH OTHER NIGERIAN/AFRICAN LANGUAGES SO WE MUST DO AS MUCH OF THIS AS POSSIBLE-USE THE MOTHER TONGUE FOR ALL PLAYS,EVENTS,PUBLICATIONS THAT YOU CAN AND SAVE AFRICAN LANGUAGES! TAKE CARE OF YOUR MOTHER TONGUE LIKE OTHER SELF-RESPECTING PEOPLE IN THE WORLD DO-IT IS YOUR FIRST LANGUAGE, NOT YOUR SECOND AND GOD GAVE IT TO YOU SO CHERISH IT,SPEAK IT ONLY IN YOUR HOME TO YOUR CHILDREN AND LET OUR MOTHER TONGUE LIVE!
>BAYO ADEBOWALE-"THE WRITINGS OF A VILLAGE MAN" BY AKINTAYO ABODURIN IN NEXT ON SUNDAY NEWSPAPER,JUNE 2010
June 26, 2010>from 234next.com
The writings of a village man
June 20, 2010 01:16AM
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“There is no strict demarcation between prose and poetry,” he states while explaining why he took up poetry. “If you are writing prose and poetry, you are virtually writing on the same plane; using almost the same diction. So, poetry can be prosaic and prose can be poetic. If I want to express my ideas in a compact form, I dabble into poetry but if I want to expand what I’m writing, I dabble into prose.”
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>FAGUNWA’S GREAT NOVEL-"OGBOJU ODE NINU IGBO IRUNMOLE"-(THE FOREST OF A THOUSAND DAEMONS)-EXAMINED BY A CZECH SCHOLAR
June 7, 2010>
Forest of a Thousand Daemons (Pan-Africa Library)Forest of a Thousand Daemons: a Hunter’s SagaExpedition to the Mount of Thought: The third saga : being a free translation of the full text of D.O. Fagunwa’s Yoruba novel Irinkerindo ninu Igbo elegbejeThe novels of D. O. Fagunwahttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=BIB-05-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0791455416&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
>NIGERIAN LANGUAGES
April 29, 2010Languages of Nigeria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Linguistic map of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Benin.Part of a series on the
Culture of Nigeria
Languages
Literature
List of Nigerian writers
List of Nigerian poets
——————————————————————————–
Nigeria Portal
v • d • e
The number of languages currently estimated and catalogued in Nigeria is 521. This number includes 510 living languages, two second languages without native speakers and 9 extinct languages. In some areas of Nigeria, ethnic groups speak more than one language. The official language of Nigeria, English, the former colonial language, was chosen to facilitate the cultural and linguistic unity of the country. The major languages spoken in Nigeria are Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Fulfulde, Kanuri, Ibibio. Even though most ethnic groups prefer to communicate in their own languages, English, being the official language, is widely used for education, business transactions and for official purposes. English, however, remains an exclusive preserve of a small minority of the country’s urban elite, and is not spoken in rural areas. With approximately 75% of Nigeria’s populace in the rural areas, the major languages of communication in the country remain tribal languages, with the most widely spoken being Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Foreign minorities speak their own languages aside from English and/or major native languages as their second languages.
Nigeria’s linguistic diversity is a microcosm of Africa as a whole, encompassing three major African languages families: the Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and the Niger-Congo A branch of the Niger-Congo family. Nigeria also has one unclassifiable language, Cen Tuum, spoken by a few old people among the Cham in Gombe State. This may represent a relic of an even greater diversity prior to the spread of the current language families.
Contents [hide]
1 Language families
1.1 Niger-Congo languages
1.2 Afroasiatic languages
2 Wikimedia
3 References
4 External links
[edit] Language families
[edit] Niger-Congo languages
Niger-Congo predominates in central and southern Nigeria; the main branches represented in Nigeria are Mande, Atlantic, Gur, Kwa, Benue-Congo and Adamawa-Ubangian. Mande is represented by the Busa cluster and Kyenga in the northwest. Fulfulde is the single Atlantic language, of Senegambian origin but now spoken by cattle pastoralists across the Sahel and largely in the North of Nigeria by the Fulani (sometimes Fulbe) diaspora. The Ijoid languages are spoken across the Niger Delta and include Ịjọ (Ijaw), Kalabari, and the intriguing remnant language Defaka. The Ibibio language is spoken across the coastal southeastern part of Nigeria and includes Efik, Annang, Ibibio proper. The single Gur language spoken is Baatọnun, in the Northwest. The Adamawa-Ubangian languages are spoken between central Nigeria and the Central African Republic. Their westernmost representatives in Nigeria are the Tula-Waja languages. The Kwa languages are represented by the Gun group in the extreme southwest, which is affiliated to the Gbe languages in Benin and Togo.
The classification of the remaining languages is controversial; Joseph Greenberg classified those without noun-classes, such as Yoruba, Igbo, and Ibibio (Efik, Ibibio, and Annang), as ‘Eastern Kwa’ and those with classes as ‘Benue-Congo’. This was reversed in an influential 1989 publication and reflected on the 1992 map of languages, where all these were considered Benue-Congo. Recent opinion, however, has been to revert to Greenberg’s distinction. The literature must thus be read with care and due regard for the date. It should be noted that there are several small language groupings in the Niger Confluence area, notably Ukaan, Akpes, Ayere-Ahan and Ọkọ, whose inclusion in these groupings has never been satisfactorily argued.
Former Eastern Kwa, i.e. West Benue-Congo would then include Yoruboid, i.e. Yoruba, Itsekiri and Igala, Akokoid (eight small languages in Ondo, Edo and Kogi state), Edoid including Edo in Edo State, Igboid, Ibibio-Efik, Idomoid (Idoma) and Nupoid (Nupe) and perhaps include the other languages mentioned above. East Benue-Congo includes Kainji, Plateau (46 languages, notably Eggon), Jukunoid, Dakoid and Cross River. Apart from these, there are numerous Bantoid languages, which are the languages immediately ancestral to Bantu. These include Mambiloid, Ekoid, Bendi, Beboid, Grassfields and Tivoid languages. The geographic distribution of Nigeria’s Niger-Congo languages is not limited to south-central Nigeria, as migration allows their spread to the linguistically Afro-Asiatic northern regions of Nigeria, as well as throughout West Africa and abroad. Yoruba is spoken as a ritual language in cults such as the Santeria in the Caribbean and South-Central America, and the Berbice Dutch language in Surinam is based on an Ijoid language.
Even the above listed linguistic diversity of the Niger-Congo in Nigeria is deceptively limiting, as these languages may further consist of regional dialects that may not be mutually intelligible. As such some languages, particularly those with a large number of speakers, have been standardized and received a romanized orthography. Nearly all languages appear in a Roman script when written, often with modifications allowing for a language’s particularities. The Yoruba, Igbo and Efik languages are notable examples of this process; Standard Yoruba came into being due to the work Samuel Crowther, the first African bishop of the Anglican Church and owes most of its lexicon to the dialects spoken in Ọyọ and Ibadan. Since Standard Yoruba’s constitution was determined by a single author rather than by a consensual linguistic policy by all speakers, the Standard has been attacked regarding for failing to include other dialects and spurred debate as to what demarcates “genuine Yoruba”. The more historically recent standardization and romanization of Igbo has provoked even more controversy due to its dialectical diversity, but the Central Igbo dialect has gained the widest acceptace as the standard-bearer; however many such as Chinua Achebe have dismissed standardization as colonial and conservative attempts to simplify a complex mosaic of languages. Such controversies typify inter- and intra-ethnic conflict endemic to post-colonial Nigeria.
Linguistically speaking, all demonstrate the varying phonological features of the Niger-Congo family to which they belong, these include the use of tone, nasality, and particular consonant and vowel systems; more information is available here.
[edit] Afroasiatic languages
Afroasiatic speaking peoples in NigeriaThe Afroasiatic languages of Nigeria divide into Chadic, Semitic and Berber. Of these, Chadic languages predominate, with 70+ languages. Semitic is represented by various dialects of Arabic spoken in the Northeast and Berber by the Tuareg-speaking communities in the extreme Northwest.
The Hausa language is the most well-known Chadic language in Nigeria; though there is a paucity of statistics on native speakers in Nigeria, the language is spoken by 24 million people in West Africa and is the second language of 15 million more. Hausa has therefore emerged as lingua franca throughout much of West Africa and the Sahel in particular. The language is spoken primarily amongst Muslims, and the language is often associated with Islamic culture in Nigeria and West Africa on the whole. Hausa is classified as a West Chadic language of the Chadic grouping, a major subfamily of Afroasiatic. Culturally, the Hausa people have become closely integrated with the Fulani following the jihadist establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate by the Fulani Uthman dan Fodio in the 19th century. Hausa is the official language of a number states in Northern Nigeria and the most important dialect is generally regarded as that spoken in Kano,an Eastern Hausa dialect, which is the standard variety used for official purposes. Eastern dialects also include some dialects spoken in Zaria, and Bauchi; Western Hausa dialects include Sakkwatanchi spoken in Sokoto, Katsinanchi in Katsina Arewanchi in both Gobir and Adar,Kebbi, and Zamfara. Katsina is transitional between Eastern and Western dialects. Northern Hausa dialects include Arewa and Arawa, while Zaria is a prominent Southern tongue version; Barikanchi is a pidgin formerly used in the military.
Hausa is a highly atypical Chadic language, with a reduced tonal system and a phonology influenced by Arabic. Other well-known Chadic languages include Ngas, Mwaghavul, Bole, Ngizim, Bade and Bacama. In the East of Nigeria and on into Cameroun are the Central Chadic languages, such as Bura, the Higi cluster and Marghi. These are highly diverse and remain very poorly described. Many Chadic languages are severely threatened; recent searches by Bernard Caron for Southern Bauchi languages show that even some of those recorded in the 1970s have disappeared. However, unknown Chadic languages are still being reported, witness the recent description of Dyarim.Issues in African Languages and Linguistics: Essays in Honour of Kay Williamson (Ninlan book series)
Hausa, as well as other Afroasiatic languages like Bade (another West Chadic language spoken in Yobe State), have historically been written in a modified Arabic script known as ajami, however, the modern official orthography is now a romanization known as boko first introduced by the British regime in the 1930s.
Nigerian languages yesterday, today, and tomorrow: Proceedings of the Twentieth Year Commemorative Symposium of the Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages, Bayero University, Kano
[edit] WikimediaNigerian languages and cultural development: Proceedings of the National Seminar on the Use of Local Languages for Cultural Development and Application, held at Durbar Hotel, Kaduna 22-24 June, 1981
Systematic graphic of the Niger-Congo languages with numbers of speakers
[edit] References
Blench, Roger (2002) Research on Minority Languages in Nigeria in 2001. Ogmios.
Blench, Roger (1998) ‘The Status of the Languages of Central Nigeria’, in Brenzinger, M. (ed.) Endangered languages in Africa. Köln: Köppe Verlag, 187-206. online version
Crozier, David & Blench, Roger (1992) An Index of Nigerian Languages (2nd edition). Dallas: SIL.
[edit] External links
Ethnologue Listing of Nigerian LanguagesFundamentals of syntax and the study of Nigerian languages
Blench, Roger (n.d.) Atlas of Nigerian Languages, ed. III (revised and amended edition of Crozier & Blench 1992)A Vocabulary of primary science and mathematics in nine Nigerian languages
Lamle, Elias Nankap , Coprreality and Dwelling spaces in Tarokland. NBTT Press. Jos Nigeria in “Ngappak” jounrla of the Tarok nation 2005Teaching and learning in Nigerian languages
[show] Articles Related to Languages of Nigeria Duka sentence, clause and phrase (Studies in Nigerian languages)
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=BIB-05-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=9783422561&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
[show]v • d • eLanguages of Africa
Africa Cameroon · Liberian · Malawian · Namibian · Nigerian · South African · Ugandan http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=BIB-05-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=3639239946&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrAPNILAC A Journal of Nigerian Languages and Culture Volume 1 (October 1997) Numbers 1 and 2
Twelve Nigerian Languageshttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=BIB-05-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001GZU4AE&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
An Index of Nigerian LanguagesTwelve Nigerian languages: A handbook on their sound systems for teachers of English,The Early Study of Nigerian Languages: Essays and Bibliographies (Modern Revivals in African Studies)The Early Study of Nigerian Languages: Essays and BibliographiesHigi phonology (Studies in Nigerian languages)The development and preservation of Nigerian languages and cultures: The role of the local http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=BIB-05-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=3639239946&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrgovernment.
(Linguistics).: An article from: Studia Anglica http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=BIB-05-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1592211739&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrhttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=BIB-05-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1592211739&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr… international review of http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=BIB-05-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=9781291737&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrEnglish Studieshttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=BIB-05-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0415022916&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
April 29, 2010
>FROM wikipedia.org
African literature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
African literature refers to literature of and from Africa. As George Joseph notes on the first page of his chapter on African literature in Understanding Contemporary Africa, while the European perception of literature generally refers to written letters, the African concept includes oral literature.[1]
As George Joseph continues, while European views of literature often stressed a separation of art and content, African awareness is inclusive:
“Literature” can also imply an artistic use of words for the sake of art alone. Without denying the important role of aesthetics in Africa, we should keep in mind that, traditionally, Africans do not radically separate art from teaching. Rather than write or sing for beauty in itself, African writers, taking their cue from oral literature, use beauty to help communicate important truths and information to society. Indeed, an object is considered beautiful because of the truths it reveals and the communities it helps to build. [2]
Contents [hide]
1 Oral literature
2 Precolonial literature
3 Colonial African literature
4 Postcolonial African literature
5 Noma Award
6 Major African novels
7 Major African poets
8 Secondary literature
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
[edit] Oral literature
Oral literature (or orature) may be in prose or verse. The prose is often mythological or historical and can include tales of the trickster character. Storytellers in Africa sometimes use call-and-response techniques to tell their stories. Poetry, often sung, includes: narrative epic, occupational verse, ritual verse, praise poems to rulers and other prominent people. Praise singers, bards sometimes known as “griots”, tell their stories with music. [3] Also recited, often sung, are: love songs, work songs, children’s songs, along with epigrams, proverbs and riddles.[4]
[edit] Precolonial literature
Examples of pre-colonial African literature are numerous. Oral literature of west Africa includes the Epic of Sundiata composed in medieval Mali, The older Epic of Dinga from the old Ghana Empire. In Ethiopia, originally written in Ge’ez script is the Kebra Negast or book of kings. One popular form of traditional African folktale is the “trickster” story, where a small animal uses its wits to survive encounters with larger creatures. Examples of animal tricksters include Anansi, a spider in the folklore of the Ashanti people of Ghana; Ijàpá, a tortoise in Yoruba folklore of Nigeria; and Sungura, a hare found in central and East African folklore. [5] Other works in written form are abundant, namely in north Africa, the Sahel regions of west Africa and on the Swahili coast. From Timbuktu alone, there are an estimated 300,000 or more manuscripts tucked away in various libraries and private collections[6], mostly written in Arabic, but some in the native languages (namely Peul and Songhai)[7]. Many were written at the famous University of Timbuktu. The material covers a wide array of topics, including Astronomy, Poetry, Law, History, Faith, Politics, and Philosophy among others.[8] Swahili literature similarly, draws inspiration from Islamic teachings but developed under indigenous circumstances. One of the most renowned and earliest pieces of Swahili literature being Utendi wa Tambuka or “The Story of Tambuka”.
In Islamic times, North Africans such as ibn Khaldun attained great distinction within Arabic literature. Medieval north Africa boasted Universities such as those of Fez and Cairo, with copious amounts of literature to supplement them.
[edit] Colonial African literature
The African works best known in the West from the period of colonization and the slave trade are primarily slave narratives, such as Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789).
In the colonial period, Africans exposed to Western languages began to write in those tongues. In 1911, Joseph Ephraim Casely-Hayford (also known as Ekra-Agiman) of the Gold Coast (now Ghana) published what is probably the first African novel written in English, Ethiopia Unbound: Studies in Race Emancipation [9] Although the work moves between fiction and political advocacy, its publication and positive reviews in the Western press mark a watershed moment in African literature.
During this period, African plays began to emerge. Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo of South Africa published the first English-language African play , The Girl Who Killed to Save: Nongqawuse the Liberator in 1935. In 1962, Ngugi wa Thiong’o of Kenya wrote the first East African drama, The Black Hermit, a cautionary tale about “tribalism” (racism between African tribes).
African literature in the late colonial period (between the end of World War I and independence) increasingly showed themes of liberation, independence, and (among Africans in French-controlled territories) négritude. One of the leaders of the négritude movement, the poet and eventual President of Senegal, Léopold Sédar Senghor, published the first anthology of French-language poetry written by Africans in 1948, Anthologie de la nouvelle poésie nègre et malgache de langue française (Anthology of the New Black and Malagasy Poetry in the French Language), featuring a preface by the French existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre. [10]
Nor was the African literary clerisy of this time relatively divorced from the issues that it tackled. Many, indeed, suffered deeply and directly: censured for casting aside his artistic responsibilities in order to participate actively in warfare, Christopher Okigbo was killed in battle for Biafra against the Nigerian movement of the 1960s’ civil war; Mongane Wally Serote was detained under South Africa’s Terrorism Act No 83 of 1967 between 1969 and 1970, and subsequently released without ever having stood trial; in London in 1970, his countryman Arthur Norje committed suicide; Malawi’s Jack Mapanje was incarcerated with neither charge nor trial because of an off-hand remark at a university pub; and, in 1995, Ken Saro-Wiwa died by the gallows of the Nigerian junta.
[edit] Postcolonial African literature
With liberation and increased literacy since most African nations gained their independence in the 1950s and 1960s, African literature has grown dramatically in quantity and in recognition, with numerous African works appearing in Western academic curricula and on “best of” lists compiled at the end of the 20th century. African writers in this period wrote both in Western languages (notably English, French, and Portuguese) and in traditional African languages.
Ali A. Mazrui and others mention seven conflicts as themes: the clash between Africa’s past and present, between tradition and modernity, between indigenous and foreign, between individualism and community, between socialism and capitalism, between development and self-reliance and between Africanity and humanity. [11] Other themes in this period include social problems such as corruption, the economic disparities in newly independent countries, and the rights and roles of women. Female writers are today far better represented in published African literature than they were prior to independence.
In 1986, Wole Soyinka became the first post-independence African writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Algerian-born Albert Camus had been awarded the 1957 prize. [[WHAT WE HAVE TO KNOW ]]The first novel in Rwanda.Mes trances a trente ans by Saverio Nayigiziki
[edit] Noma Award
The Noma Award for Publishing in Africa, begun in 1980, is presented for the outstanding work of the year in African literatures.
[edit] Major African novels
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (Nigeria)
Nuruddin Farah, From a Crooked Rib (Somalia)
Alan Paton, Cry, The Beloved Country (South Africa)
Gracy Ukala, Dizzy Angel (Nigeria)
Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa, Ogboju odẹ ninu igbo irunmalẹ (The Forest of a Thousand Demons) (Nigeria)
Dalene Matthee, Kringe in ‘n bos ([[:Template:Circles in a forest]]) (South Africa)
Mariama Bâ, Une si longue lettre (So Long a Letter) (Senegal)
Ousmane Sembène, Xala (Senegal)
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, A Grain of Wheat (Kenya)
Benjamin Sehene, Le Feu sous la Soutane (Fire under the Cassock) (Rwanda)
Thomas Mofolo, Chaka (South Africa/Lesotho)
Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions (Zimbabwe)
Dambudzo Marechera, The House of Hunger (Zimbabwe/Rhodesia)
Yvonne Vera, Butterfly Burning (Zimbabwe)
Mia Couto, Terra Sonâmbula (A Sleepwalking Land) (Mozambique)
Ayi Kwei Armah, The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born (Ghana)
Ben Okri, The Famished Road (Nigeria)
J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace (South Africa)
Bessie Head, “When Rain Clouds Gather” (Botswana)
Sarah Ladipo Manyika, In Dependence (Nigeria)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun (Nigeria)
Charles Mangua, A Tail in the Mouth (Kenya)
Camara Laye, The Radiance of the King (Guinea)
Nnedi Okorafor, Zahrah the Windseeker (Nigeria)
Monenembo Tierno, King of Kahel (Guinea)
Sefi Atta Everything Good Will Come (Nigeria)
[edit] Major African poets
Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)
Wole Soyinka (Nigeria)
Christopher Okigbo (Nigeria)
Lenrie Peters (Gambia)
Kofi Anyidoho (Ghana)
Dennis Brutus (South Africa)
Kofi Awoonor (Ghana)
Léopold Sédar Senghor (Senegal)
Glynn Burridge Seychelles
[edit] Secondary literature
Encyclopedia of African Literature, ed Simon Gikandi, London: Routledge, 2003.
The Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature, ed Abiola Irele and Simon Gikandi, 2 vls, Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Table of contents
Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writing by Women of African Descent”, ed Margaret Busby (Random House, 1992).
General History of Africa vol. VIII, ed. Ali A. Mazrui, UNESCO, 1993, ch. 19 “The development of modern literature since 1935,” Ali A. Mazrui et al.
Understanding Contemporary Africa, ed. April A. Gordon and Donald L. Gordon, Lynne Rienner, London, 1996, ch. 12 “African Literature”, George Joseph
[edit] See also
Literature portal
List of African writers
African cinema
Nigerian literature
[edit] References
1.^ George, Joseph, “African Literature” ch. 12 of Understanding Contemporary Africa p. 303
2.^ ibid p. 304
3.^ http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0802673.html
4.^ George Joseph, op. cit. pp. 306-310
5.^ “African Literature – MSN Encarta”. Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwDV5p8Q.
6.^ http://www.sum.uio.no/research/mali/timbuktu/project/timanus.pdf
7.^ http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,569560,00.html
8.^ http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mali/
9.^ African Literature.
10.^ “Leopold Senghor – MSN Encarta”. Archived from the original on 2009-10-31. http://www.webcitation.org/5kwDVhgpr.
11.^ Ali A. Mazrui et al. “The development of modern literature since 1935” as ch. 19 of UNESCO’s General History of Africa vol. VIII p. 564f Collaborating with Ali A. Mazrui on this chapter were Mario Pinto de Andrade, M’hamed Alaoui Abdalaoui, Daniel P. Kunene and Jan Vansina.
[edit] External links
New African Literature resource
The Africa_(Bookshelf) at Project Gutenberg
African Languages and Literature at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
African Literature Association
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Categories: African culture | African literatureViews
>LIST OF NIGERIAN WRITERS-FROM WIKIPEDIA.ORG
April 29, 2010>FROM wikipedia.org
List of Nigerian writers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
——————————————————————————–
1 A
2 B-E
3 F-K
4 L-N
5 O – P
6 R-T
7 U-Z
[edit] A
Abimbola Adelakun
Gbola Adiamoh
Aderemi Adegbite
Adam Abdulahi
Yusufu Adamu
Carol Azams
Chris Abani
Chinua Achebe (1930– )
Wale Adebanwi
Bayo Adebowale (1944–)
Remi Adedeji (1937– )
Abiola Adegboyega
Dapo Adeniyi
Mobolaji Adenubi
Kole Ade-Odutola
Kayode Aderinokun
Pius Adesanmi
Akin Adesokan
Nwaizu Charles Chioma(1982-)
Anne Omolola Famuyiwa
Sean Adetula
Toyin Abiodun
Toyin Adewale-Gabriel
Dapo Adeleke
Sola Adeyemi (1965– )
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (1977– )
Emeka Agbayi
Rita Aghadiuno
Tolu Ajayi (1946– )
Segun Akinlolu
Segun Akinyode
Uwem Akpan
Akilu Aliyu
Odinaka Anudu
Isiaka Aliagan
Olufunmi Aluko
T.M. Aluko (1918– )
Elechi Amadi (1934– )
Ifi Amadiume
Peter Anny-Nzekwue
Ike Anya
G. O. Apata
Sefi Atta (1964– )
Babatunde Awoyele
Anne Axis
Unoma Nguemo Azuah
Nnorom Azuonye
Tunde Akinloye
Ayotokunbo Ajewole
((Rosemary Shimite Erazua-Oniha))
[edit] B-E
Babafemi Badejo
Francoise Balogun
Biyi Bandele
A. Igoni Barrett (1979– )
Olumbe Bassir
Charles Bodunde
Qasim Bolaji-Ashogbon
Tubal Rabbi Cain (1964–)
Chin Ce (1966– )
John Pepper Clark (1935– )
Samuel Ajayi Crowther (1809–1891)
Folasayo Dele-Ogunrinde
Umaru Dembo
David Diai
David Numshi Musa
Jude Dibia (1975– )
Ebereonwu
Philip Effiong
Etebom Ekpo
Michael Echeruo (1937– )
Amatoritsero (Godwin) Ede
Eyitemi Egwuenu
Victor Ehikhamenor
Cyprian Ekwensi (1921–2007)
Buchi Emecheta (1944– )
E. Nolue Emenanjo
Perpetual Emenekwum-Eziefule
Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–97)
Rosemary Esehagu (1981– )
Femi Euba
Awal Idris Evuti
Pedus Chidiebere Eweama
Chielozona Eze
Vera Ezimora
Abitogun Oladipo Ojo
Itunu-Abitogun Oyinlade Oladipo
Akinbami Oluseyi Macaulay
Aderinola Richardson (nee Aderemi)
[edit] F-K
Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa
Adebayo Faleti
Toyin Falola
Healson Adedayo Farore, Sr.
Dan Fulani
Bilkisu Funtuwa
Haliru Audu
Harry Oludare Garuba (1958– )
Jumoke Giwa
Helon Habila
Obo Aba Hisanjani
Ogaga Ifowodo
Anita Omoiataman Ihaza
Rita Ihekwaba
Senator Ihenyen
Ikhide R. Ikheloa (Nnamdi)
Esiaba Irobi
Akinwunmi Isola
Uzodinma Iweala
Obi “Obiwu” Iwuayanwu
Festus Iyayi
Abubakar Imam
Oritsegbemi Emmanuel Jakpa
John Jea
Femi Jeboda
Prince Joshua Olawuyi
Biodun Jeyifo (1946– )
Mike Jimoh
Samuel Johnson
Kokalu O. Kalu
Uduma Kalu
Hamzat Kassim
Sulaiman Ibrahim Katsina
Olubukola Kwegan
Chime, Hilary Uchenna
[edit] L-N
Lawrence Onuzulike
Abimbola Lagunju
Obakanse S. Lakanse
Akeem Lasisi
Amina Mama
Oliver Mbamara
Ayodele Morocco-Clarke (1973–)
John Munonye
Akanji Nasiru
Uche Nduka
Austyn Njoku
Obi Nwakanma
Martina Awele Nwakoby (1937– )
Nkem Nwankwo (1936–2001)
Flora Nwapa (1931–1993)
Njideka Nwapa-Ibuaka
Chuma Nwokolo
Angela Nwosu
Maik Nwosu
Nkechi Nwosu-Igbo
Azuka Nzegwu
Onuora Nzekwu
Godwin Ubong Akpan
[edit] O – P
Obo Aba Hisanjani
Olu Obafemi
Iheoma Obibi
Obinna Charles Okwelume
Ogunade Jude Adebosoye (1968–)
Hyacinth Obunseh
Sunny E. Ododo
Taiwo Odubiyi
Odia Ofeimun
Chike Ofili
Sarah O’Gorman
Olu Oguibe
Ike Oguine
Molara Ogundipe
Samuel Olagunju Ogundipe
Tolulope Ogunlesi
Denrele Ogunwa
Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi
Yemi D. Ogunyemi
Ijeoma Ogwuegbu
[[Francis Ohanyido] (1970– )
Tanure Ojaide
Steve Nezianya
Bamiji Ojo
Akinloye Ojo
Olatubosun Oladapo
Gabriel Okara (1921– )
Oladejo Okedeji
Wale Okediran
Chika Okeke
Remi Okere
Niran Okewole
Christopher Okigbo (1932–1967)
Onookome Okome
Ike Okonta
Nnedi Okorafor
Dike Okoro
Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo
Wole Oguntokun
Osita Okoroafor
Ben Okri (1959– )
Afolabi Olabimtan
Simbo Olorunfemi
Taiwo Oloruntoba-Oju
Esho Oluborode
Alade E. Oluwadamilola
Kole Omotosho (1943– )
Nduka Onwuegbute (1969– )
Osonye Tess Onwueme (1955– )
Dillibe Onyeama
Frank Onyebu
Nwando Onyeabo
Alexander Orok
Nnaemeka Oruh
Dennis Osadebay
Femi Osofisan
Chinye Phiona Osai
Sanya Osha
Sola Osofisan
E.C. Osondu
Niyi Osundare (1947– )
Tony Nduka Otiono
Helen Ovbiagele (1944– )
Jamin Owhovoriole
Stella Dia Oyedepo
Bunmi Oyinsan
Dupe Olorunjo
Naan Pocen
Seni Ogunkola
Tolulope Popoola
[edit] R-T
Remi Raji
Aderemi Raji-Oyelade
Ken Saro-Wiwa (1941–95)
Lola Shoneyin
Mudi Sipikin
Ladipo Soetan
Zulu Sofola (1935–95)
Ayo Sogunro
Bode Sowande (1948–)
J. Sobowole Sowande
Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
Wole Soyinka (1934– ), awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature
Emmanuel Sule
Mohammed Sule
Muritala Sule
Ogunade Jude Adebosoye (1968–)
Kola Tubosun
Adebisi Thompson
Amos Tutuola (1920-97)
Morenike Taire
Odijie Ehis Michael
[edit] U-Z
Uche Uzoebo
Uche Nworah
Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike
Ebele Uche-Nwakile
Françoise Ugochukwu
Clarius Ugwuoha
Odili Ujubuonu
Gracy Ukala (formerly Osifo)
Adaora Lily Ulasi (1932– )
Sumaila Isah Umaisha
Karo Umukoro
Chika Unigwe
Emman Usman Shehu
Ronnie Uzoigwe
Jumoke Verissimo
Ugonna Wachuku (1971– )
Segun Williams
Ken Wiwa (1968– )
Molara Wood
Oladipo Yemitan
Sa’adu Zungur
Ubong Alfred
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nigerian_writers”
Categories: Lists of writers by nationality Nigeria-related lists Nigerian writersViews
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