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AFRICAN
LITERATURE
GROUP 3
WHAT IS AFRICAN LITERATURE
African literature encompasses traditional oral and written works in Afro-Asiatic and African languages,
along with writings by Africans in European languages. Traditional written literature is prominent in
sub-Saharan cultures linked to the Mediterranean. Notable examples include works in Hausa, Arabic,
Geʿez, and Amharic. European language literature emerged mainly from the 20th century. The interplay
between oral and written traditions, shaped by colonial education, defines the complex evolution of
modern African literatures, influenced by both European models and indigenous oral traditions.
ORIGIN OF AFRICAN
LITERATURE
The origin of African literature is deeply rooted in the rich oral traditions that have existed on the
continent for centuries. Before the introduction of written languages, African societies relied on oral
storytelling as a means of passing down their history, cultural values, and traditions from one generation
to another. This oral tradition encompassed various forms of expression, including folktales, myths,
legends, proverbs, and poetry.
TYPES OF AFRICAN LITERATURE
Types of African literature
The different types of African literature can be divided into four groups:
-Oral African literature
-Pre-colonial African literature
-Colonial African literature
-Post-colonial literature
These can further be divided into three periods of African literature: during African liberation, colonialism of
Africa, and Africa after colonialism.
ORAL AFRICAN LITERATURE
African oral literature was performative. Its themes were usually mythological and historical.
Performance, Tone, riddles, and proverbs were key components of oral African literature. These elements were manipulated
by the orator to produce certain effects on their audience.
The performer also often had visual aids during their performance. As the performer was usually face-to-face with the
public, they were able to perform in specific ways by using mimicry, gestures, and expressions to produce an impact on
their audience. They could also portray a certain image by dressing up as a specific character.
Oral African literature was versatile and communal. Performers could at times even introduce pieces of their older stories
into their new stories or create completely new content and structures in their stories.
PRE-COLONIAL
AFRICAN LITERATURE
Pre-colonial African literature is the literature written between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries and
includes the Atlantic slave trade.
These stories were based on the Folklore of different regions in African countries.
It is important to understand that before colonial rule, African literature existed. Africans wrote in Africa
as well as in the west and they also wrote in their native languages.
COLONIAL
AFRICAN LITERATURE
Colonial African Literature was produced between the end of World War I and African independence
(the date of which depends on the different countries, such as Ghana's 1957 independence from British
control and Algeria's independence in 1962 from France). It contained themes of independence,
liberation and négritude.
Traditionally, Africans combine teaching in their art forms. For example, rather than writing or singing
about beauty, African people use elements of beauty to portray crucial facts and information about
African society.
POST-COLONIAL LITERATURE
Writers in this period wrote in both western languages and African languages. The main themes that
African authors explore in post-colonial African Literature are the relationship between modernity and
tradition, the relationship between Africa’s past and Africa’s present, individuality and collectivism, the
notion of foreignness and indigenous, capitalism and socialism, and what it means to be African.
Writers who reflect these themes in their writing include Chinua Achebe in Arrow of God (1964) and
Ngugi wa Thiong'o in Wizard of the Crow (2006).
5 ARICAN WRITERS AND THEIR
FAMOUS WORKS
AUTHORS AND THEIR
FAMOUS WORK
1. CHINUA ACHEBE
-Chinua Achebe is a prominent figure in African literature,

renowned for works like "Things Fall Apart" and "No Longer at
Ease." His writings delve into the impact of colonialism on African
identity, navigating the tension between traditional and Western
societies. Achebe, a highly acclaimed African writer, passed away
in 2013 without receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature, a
recognition many anticipated for his significant contributions to
the literary world.
"Things Fall Apart," a seminal African novel
in English literature, explores pre-colonial
life in a southern Nigerian village and the
cultural disruptions caused by British arrival
in the late 19th century. Chinua Achebe
skillfully provides a glimpse into an
unfamiliar world, offering universal
reflections on community upheavals without
romanticizing the past or blindly endorsing
progress.
What To Read By Chinua Achebe:

Things Fall Apart
AUTHORS AND THEIR
FAMOUS WORK
2. CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE

-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a prominent African
writer at 42, gained acclaim with "Purple Hibiscus" but
solidified her reputation with "Half of a Yellow Sun."
"Americanah" delves into racism, feminism, and
cultural displacement. Noteworthy for her fiction, her
essay "We Should All Be Feminists" is widely
distributed in Swedish high schools. In 2017, Fortune
recognized her as one of the world's 50 most influential
people.
"Half of a Yellow Sun" explores the human impacts
of the Biafran War from three perspectives. Ugwu, a
13-year-old houseboy, witnesses the war's brutality
while serving a mathematics professor. Olanna,
estranged from her parents, faces displacement with
her socialist partner. Kainene, initially profiting from
the conflict, becomes disillusioned and runs a
refugee camp. The novel reflects the impossible
choices imposed on African nations in the 20th
century, with Adichie drawing from her own
experiences growing up in the aftermath of the
Biafran War.
What To Read By Chimamanda Ngozi

Adichie: Half of a Yellow Sun
AUTHORS AND THEIR
FAMOUS WORK
3. ALAIN MABANCKOU
- Alain Mabanckou is a prominent French-Congolese writer and

professor of French literature at the University of California. His debut
novel, "Bleu-Blanc-Rouge," earned him the Grand prix littéraire
d’Afrique noire in 1998. "Verre cassé" (Broken Glass), depicting the
lives of a bar's regulars in Brazzaville, brought him widespread
recognition. However, it was "Mémoires de porc-épic" (Memoirs of a
Porcupine), winning the 2006 Prix Renaudot and longlisted for the Man
Booker International Prize, that established him as a prominent
contemporary African writer. Mabanckou also co-authored the notable
essay "Dictionnaire enjoué des cultures africaines" with Djibouti novelist
Abdourahman Waberi.
With great simplicity, Alain Mabanckou recounts
the life of a Congolese boy — Petit Piment, which
literally means “Little Pepper” — through the
1960s and ’70s. It’s a life full of adventures that
tells the story of Mabanckou’s Congo, as well as
the upheavals of history. The book is short and
quick to read, and it makes a marvelous
introduction to the very particular universe of the
author.
What To Read By Alain Mabanckou:

Petit Piment (“Black Moses”)
AUTHORS AND THEIR
FAMOUS WORK
4. NGUGI WA THIONG’O
-Ngugi wa Thiong'o, a prominent Kenyan author and intellectual,

initially wrote novels in English, addressing themes of colonialism and
cultural tensions in East Africa. His acclaimed work, "A Grain of Wheat"
(1967), brought him international recognition. However, in his 1986
essay "Decolonising the Mind," Ngugi expressed a farewell to English,
criticizing African writers for neglecting their native languages. Since
then, he exclusively writes in Kikuyu to prioritize his intended audience
and advocate for linguistic and cultural independence. Ngugi is currently
a professor at the University of California and directs the International
Center for Writing and Translation.
What To Read By
Ngugi wa Thiong’o:
A Grain of Wheat
A Grain of Wheat is the novel that gained Ngugi international acclaim

and a place among the most successful African writers of the 20th
century. It tells a number of intertwined stories that take place during
Kenya’s fight for independence. The main plot follows a seemingly calm
and solitary young man as he and his home village prepare to celebrate
Uhuru Day (Kenyan independence day). But in the background, former
members of the resistance prepare to execute a traitor who had betrayed
them during the fight.
AUTHORS AND THEIR
FAMOUS WORK
5. WOLE SOYINKA
- Wole Soyinka, the first African writer to win the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1986, stands among the best African writers. A
prolific author, he has contributed significantly to various literary
forms, including novels, memoirs, short stories, essays, poetry, and
theatrical plays. The Nobel committee praised Soyinka for his rich
and culturally nuanced universe, describing how he models the
drama of human existence with a unique cultural and poetical
perspective.
What To Read By
Wole Soyinka: Death
and the King’s
Horseman
While Wole Soyinka has written in many media, he is first and

foremost a playwright. And Death and the King’s Horseman is the
most well-known, most studied, and most discussed play by
Soyinka. Written in 1975, this anti-colonialist drama was inspired
by real-life events when the king died during the colonization of
Nigeria by the British Empire. According to Yoruba tradition, his
dog, his horse, and his horseman were to accompany him in death.
Drama ensues when a British officer who finds the practice
barbaric intervenes.
OTHER EXAMPLE OF CHINUA
ACHEBE WORKS:
OTHER EXAMPLE OF CHIMAMANDA
NGOZI ADICHIE WORKS:
OTHER EXAMPLE OF ALAIN
MABANCKOU WORKS:
OTHER EXAMPLE OF NGUGI WA
THIONG’O WORKS:
OTHER EXAMPLE OF WOLE
SOYINKA WORKS:

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AFRICAN

-Chinua Achebe is a prominent figure in African literature,

What To Read By Chinua Achebe:

2. CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE

What To Read By Chimamanda Ngozi

- Alain Mabanckou is a prominent French-Congolese writer and

What To Read By Alain Mabanckou:

-Ngugi wa Thiong'o, a prominent Kenyan author and intellectual,

A Grain of Wheat is the novel that gained Ngugi international acclaim

While Wole Soyinka has written in many media, he is first and

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