WHY AFRICAN LITERATURE IS CHANGING THE WORLD
African literature has proven over the years to have changed the world and its stereotypes. It has shown its importance by projecting its unique voice to change all negative stereotypes and perceptions about Africa and Africans.
The world that saw us as apes and gorillas is beginning to feel our experiences, have an idea of how we think, what we feel, want and believe. In this blog post, you will see how sharing our voices and thoughts as Africans through African literature is changing the world. Is this something you would want to know more about? Then keep reading!
African literature is literally changing the world. The world is beginning to appreciate and understand the diversity and richness in our different cultures. Not only is the world appreciating and learning about our culture, but they are also beginning to see the importance of our literary works because of its relevant setting and relatable storylines.
I remember growing up as a child, I often watched some movies where I saw racism at its peak. That was way before the campaigns and awareness about racism started making rounds over the internet. I told myself going abroad is not for me. Few years down the line, I was watching an interview of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, where a French interviewer asked if Africans read.
While I found that rather insulting, I loved how Chimamanda Adichie answered that question, this shows how the world sees Africans. Thanks to African literature, these labels are being identified and addressed. There is no better time to be so proud of being African than now.
In the past, most people just read stories written by colonial visitors and “explorers” who claimed to have “discovered” places in Africa when those places have always existed and the people from Africa have known them for generations. When you read such African stories written by these British authors who wrote about their experiences in Africa, instead of writing about stories, ways of life of the indigenes of the country he visited he’d describe the people.
Imagine when a visitor of Africa is writing a literary piece, it would often be inaccurate as his facts will be biased. Oftentimes, they would write about the people instead of stories. I remember seeing a video some time ago where a lady was saying she thought all Africans are black and different. Even with the racism that is currently being fought, you’d begin to wonder the tales that were told about Africans to the rest of the world.
I have heard tales being told that Africans are animals, they look like apes, they eat human beings and many more myths that even as an African I wonder if there’s an iota of truth in them. “Have you seen the comic movie, Mr Bean?” What kind of picture was the scriptwriter trying to depict about Africans? Such ideologies will be framed in the minds of people who have not visited Africa to think Africans are archaic and barbaric. Alas, Africans are tired of this labelling, hence, we tell our stories ourselves to our kind of people and correct those negative stereotypes about Africans.
African language literature is essential in serving as a means to keep the languages of people who are less widely spoken outside of Africa alive and well. It is tragic how many languages have been lost to time, especially when one considers how intricately language is tied up with understanding such concepts as time, space and culture.
Still wondering how this has changed the world? It has. The world is beginning to see us as Nigerians, Kenyans, South Africans, etc. The most beautiful thing is that not only does the world know us as Nigerians for example, but they are also beginning to know that in Nigeria, there are the Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas, etc.
The more we tell these African stories, the more it also increases our social consciousness and raises awareness of social, political, and economic crises that the African continent is facing.
We have so shown our strengths and weaknesses to the world as a people and as a continent that the world is beginning to see the African continent as a rich site for investment.
Our stories have also shown the world the rottenness of the systems around us and that we have chosen not to remain silent. I remember the protests that took place in Nigeria in October 2020, one slogan I can’t seem to take out of my head is “you messed with the wrong generation”. We are becoming more defiant as a people, we are gaining ground and most especially we are ensuring our voices are heard in Africa and beyond.
Africa has the richest and most important aspects of cultural heritage, amongst this is her oral tradition which transcends time, not just in Africa but all over the continent. Not only does this rich African cultural heritage transcends time, but it also serves as a very valuable source of information about Africa’s past, present and possibly futuristic presumption. It also serves as a basis for African philosophies of literature. These oral literature are literary works often disseminated by word of mouth. They possess the cultural value of their roots (origin), they possess a lot of morals which does not make these literary works look substandard, it obeys all literary rules and functions just as the written form does.
Do you know what makes African stories even more interesting? The name African stories have probably given you the answer, it is the fact that it is about us – Africans. It explains the myths, mysteries, ideologies, complexity, sophistication, ironies, and tragedies of life that we face as Africans and because these stories are written by someone who understands the African narrative and culture, it becomes easier for us to relate with those contents because they were written in a language we understand without going the extra mile. In these stories we encounter ourselves; we discover who we truly are as a people; we are confronted head-on with the truth of our continent, the ups and downs, the good, the bad and the ugly. We learn the histories of our people; learn African proverbs; learn African values.
