Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia, won its independence from Great Britain in 1980 yet continues to feel the impact of Western lifestyles and prejudices. This rich, accessible overview freshly examines Zimbabwe, evoking the contemporary ways of life in a largely homogenous and agricultural country.
Students and general readers will discover an engaging narrative that ranges from an explanation of the beer culture to a powerful discussion of marriage, family, and gender roles from the Zimbabwean perspective. Owomoyela also authoritatively conveys the coexistence of...
Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia, won its independence from Great Britain in 1980 yet continues to feel the impact of Western lifestyles and pr...
African literatures, says volume editor Oyekan Owomoyela, "testify to the great and continuing impact of the colonizing project on the African universe." African writers must struggle constantly to define for themselves and other just what "Africa" is and who they are in a continent constructed as a geographic and cultural entity largely by Europeans.This study reflects the legacy of colonialism by devoting nine of its thirteen chapters to literature in "Europhone" languages English, French, and Portuguese. Foremost among the Anglophone writers discussed are Nigerians Amos Tutuola, Chinua...
African literatures, says volume editor Oyekan Owomoyela, "testify to the great and continuing impact of the colonizing project on the African univers...
Yoruba Trickster Tales come out of the tradition of evening storytelling, a popular form of entertainment in traditional African societies. A favorite genre among these folktales is the trickster tale, variations of which are found in many cultures around the world. Among the Yoruba of West Africa (mostly in western Nigeria but also in neighboring Benin), the trickster character is Ajapa, the tortoise. The repertory of tales about him is seemingly inexhaustible. In this volume Oyekan Owomoyela offers a representative gathering of twenty-three Yoruba trickster tales. Ajapa is notable for his...
Yoruba Trickster Tales come out of the tradition of evening storytelling, a popular form of entertainment in traditional African societies. A favorite...
Origins are often obscure and beginnings easily forgotten. The first novel ever published by an African has, until now, been lost in rare book collections, unknown to scholars and public alike. Now reissued a century after its first publication, Joseph J. Walters's Guanya Pau can be reread in the context of a varied and vigorous African literature. Its subject and the author's outlook make it remarkably modern.
Guanya Pau deals with the desire of Guanya, an African princess, to escape a repulsive fate: betrothal to a wealthy man twenty years older than she. Worse, he is a...
Origins are often obscure and beginnings easily forgotten. The first novel ever published by an African has, until now, been lost in rare book collect...
"The leopard's stealthy gait is not a result of cowardice; it is simply stalking a prey." (Do not mistake people's gentle nature for spinelessness.) "The rabbit that eats yams and enjoys them will return for more." (People remember good experiences and seek their repetition.) "The chicken sweats, but its down prevents us from knowing." (Everybody has his or her problems, although strangers may not guess.) "The mouth does not say, 'I ate once before.'" (Hunger is not something one assuages once and for all.) "It is a light rain that chases a child indoors; it is a raging torrent that shakes...
"The leopard's stealthy gait is not a result of cowardice; it is simply stalking a prey." (Do not mistake people's gentle nature for spinelessness.) "...
Composed by a premier scholar of African literature, this volume is a comprehensive guide to the literary traditions of Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria, five distinct countries bound by their experience with colonialism. Oyekan Owomoyela begins with an overview of the authors, texts, and historical events that have shaped the development of postwar Anglophone literatures in this region, exploring shifts in theme and the role of foreign sponsorship and illuminating recent debates regarding the language, identity, gender, and social commitments of various authors and their...
Composed by a premier scholar of African literature, this volume is a comprehensive guide to the literary traditions of Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia,...
