7 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT AFRICAN LITERATURE
African literature is one of the most diverse, rich, and unique kinds of literature in the world. But despite its global importance and popularity, there are still a lot of things about African literature that people don’t know.
In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the most interesting and surprising facts about African literature. So if you’re a fan of books or just curious about this fascinating topic, keep reading!
Here are just a few examples:
1. African literature is the oldest form of storytelling in human history
African literature is the oldest form of storytelling in human history, dating back over 5500 years. These stories span through a wide range from oral traditions passed down by village elders or tribesmen who recount tales around campfires for entertainment purposes throughout Africa, like Kikuyu legends about Simba & Nala’s son Mufasa from The Lion King asking friends what they would do if faced with an intractable problem to Yoruba and other African languages have their rich tradition which they passed on through oral traditions to create stories about gods that would protect humans from harm or guide them during times when there are no more prophets for people follow these visions as if they were real.
African folktales can be broken into two categories: those told orally (especially over long distances such as through singing) and others are simply handed down from generation to generation
2. There’s no one "African literary voice" – instead, there’s a rich variety of voices and traditions.
This is a common misconception. There’s one "African Literary Voice" instead we have many, rich and diverse traditions. The African voice can be said to change depending on what they’re writing about - whether it’s history or poetry for example; but, even in these vastly different styles, there will still be some indication as though each writer has his/her own individual way of telling their story. The diverse voices and cultural traditions in Africa are what make it a vibrant, exciting place.
3. Most literary prizes for African writers are given out by European organizations or institutions rather than Africans themselves.
The European continent has traditionally been the home of most African literature. The award-winning pieces come from their countries, yet they’re often judged on what Europe thinks about them as well - this is a problem for many African writers who want recognition without being influenced by other cultures' perspectives or standards. Though African literature is often overlooked and underappreciated, the list of African writers who have won prestigious awards speaks volumes.
These include Ken Saro-Wiwa for his work with Ogoni People against Dow Chemical’s dumping toxic waste in their community, Constance Kam Napier’s Aloes Calling for her book about prostitutes which revealed human trafficking rings operating within Lesotho temples - sounding alarms before it was too late!
Free Media Society honoured Helen Oyeyemi, Yūnus Jalaladin Rumi & Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu “for poetic genius worthy of a Nobel prize." Ester Zati received The Oxford Award for Gourmandism.
4. Many African writers use their work as a way to educate people about social injustices going on in their country and around the world - this may include things like colonialism, apartheid, racism, sexism etc...
The people of Africa have been fighting against social injustices for centuries. One way they do this is by using their work as a medium, which often takes on an educational tone and teaches those who read it about what’s happening back home. In addition to educating readers outside their country about these issues within African society (or any other), many writers also hope that writing will inspire change within themselves so justice can prevail.
As an African writer, you have a responsibility to educate people about social injustices going on in your country. There are many ways that writers can use their work as fuel for change and the voice of those who cannot speak up themselves or whose voices don’t matter.
5. One of the first novels to be published in English by an African writer was Amos Tutuola’s My Life among Ghosts, which he wrote about his time growing up on Yoruba Manuscripts.
The story follows Innokenti Oshiomhole who moves from Nigeria with his family when they are forced out as farmers during colonial rule and sent into laborious work at a salt factory instead; it’s there that their poverty becomes apparent - not just monetarily but also physically because each day is filled with fatigue after long hours spent collecting rock-like substances called 'kwassa' from large cisterns used for evaporating brine between floors ABOVE ground level (which means you must wear protective gloves
6. African authors have shown incredible activity which has made African literature more vibrant and easily accessible to people of other tribes.
African authors have over the years shown how vibrant and incredibly active they are by having literary pieces and works in diverse languages. According to research, there are about 3,500 African literature titles in print in English and French alone and over 10,000 in 143 African languages.
7. African literature can be intricate and complex as the school of thought concerning it has made it appear to be so. A school of thought believes that African literature can only be written in the various African languages while the other school of thought believes that African literature can be written in other languages which are not in the various African languages provided the authors are African. These various schools of thought have made the African literature seem so complicated, however, it does not seem that way any longer as there have been lots of African literary contents in diverse languages which are not African.
Conclusion: We hope that the article on African literature was informative and interesting for you. There are many more facts about this continent’s literary history to learn, so make sure to subscribe below if you want to read more articles like these!
