AFRICAN-LANGUAGE LITERATURE: TRAGEDY AND HOPE

AFRICAN-LANGUAGE LITERATURE: TRAGEDY AND HOPE BY DANIEL P. KUNENE 

                                                

                                          A 'SUMMARY'

                        BY NWANI UCHENNA WILLIAMS

It is noteworthy that language is a means or vehicle through which a writer reveals and conveys the contents in the mind. The term ‘African language’ came into being to characterize a whole host of activities and concepts, including African literature. But since Africa is not a country but continent and has no language of its own, it poses a problem to the African writers on how to promote the ‘African literature.’ Other writer’s in European language promote their language and culture by writing in their own individual languages.

Many Africans who received western education and flowered used the western language to discuss their literary works. But because the works didn’t tally with the language of the British, Portuguese, and Americans, it was termed African literature.

Gerard moore states that the concepts of African literature was for many readers, a new one.

Moreover, there exist two streams of literature: ¹the one within the European languages (African literature) and ²the other one written in several African languages. As someone who is passionate and believes in writing in our own mother tongue, Gerard remarked: “vernacular writing is a most important potential source for our knowledge and understanding of the African mind.”

On this note, Kunene therefore enjoin Africa writers to rise to the challenge and take the lead in affairs that affects us, of which we have the most intimate knowledge, to get inside our languages. Ngugi Wa Thiong’O is good to emulate.