African Literatures

Ghana

By: Angelica V. Ecal

African Literature
AS GEORGE JOSEPH NOTES IN HIS CHAPTER ON AFRICAN
LITERATURE IN UNDERSTANDING CONTEMPORARY AFRICA,
WHEREAS EUROPEAN VIEWS OF LITERATURE OFTEN
STRESSED A SEPARATION OF ART AND CONTENT, AFRICAN
AWARENESS IS INCLUSIVE:

"LITERATURE" CAN ALSO SIMPLY MEAN AN ARTISTIC

USE OF WORDS FOR THE SAKE OF ART
ALONE.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.
  The most common answer to the question,
“Why was Africa called the Dark Continent?”
is that Europe did not know much about
Africa until the 19th century, but that answer
is misleading and disingenuous. Europeans
had known quite a lot about Africa for at least
2,000 years, but because of powerful imperial
Why was impulses, European leaders began
purposefully ignoring earlier sources of
Africa information.
called the  At the same time, the campaign against
slavery and for missionary work in Africa
“Dark actually intensified Europeans’ racial ideas
about African people in the 1800s. They
Continent”? called Africa the Dark Continent, because of
the mysteries and the savagery they expected
to find in the “Interior."
  African culture is expressed in its arts and crafts,

Culture folklore and religion, clothing, cuisine, music and

languages.
of Africa  Even though African cultures are widely diverse, it
is also, when closely studied, seen to have many
similarities. For example, the morals they uphold,
their love and respect for their culture as well as
the strong respect they hold for the aged and the
important i.e. Kings and Chiefs.

 The governments of most African nations

encourage national dance and music groups,
museums, and to a lower degree, artists and
writers.
• Folktales also play an important role in many African cultures.
• Stories reflect a group cultural identity and preserving the stories of Africa
will help preserve an entire culture.
• Storytelling affirms pride and identity in a culture.

There are different types of African stories:

 Animal tales more oriented towards entertainment, but still have morals
and lessons to them.

Ex: The Hare was always the trickster, clever and cunning, while the Hyena
was always being tricked by the Hare. Ogres are always cruel, greedy monsters.
The messengers in all the stories were the Birds.

 Day-to-Day tales are the most serious tales, never including humor, that
explained the everyday life and struggles of an African community.

Ex: These tales take on matters such as famine, escape from death, courtship,
and family matters, using a song form when the climax of the story was being
told.
Ghana
Literature

 It is traditionally based on oral

literature as most histories and stories
were passed on by spoken word
through song, poetry and folktales.
 Ghanian poet
and writer
 Single author

 Family
oriented
 Approximately
60-65 years old

Matei Markwei
 In our village
When elders are around,
Boys must not look at girls

Life In And girls must not look at boys

Because the elders say
That is not good.
Our
Village Even when the night comes
Boys must play separately,
Girls must play separately.
But humanity is weak
So boys and girls meet.

By: Matei The boys played hide and seek

Markwei The girls played hide and seek.

The boys know where the girls hide
And the girls know where the boys hide –
So in their hide and seek,
Boys seek girls
Girls seek boys,
And each to each sing
Songs of love
 The poem is undeniably about their
culture in their village. The author
Poem wants us to understand about their
place. He showed us that their place
Critism is a strict place since the elders
don’t want boys to look at girls and
vice versa. The author wants us to
see that youth in their place is not
as kind as the elders think. Nothing
is beyond the poem. The meaning is
already written.
THANK YOU