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Comparative literature and African literatures
273 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1993
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March 6, 2019
“It is clear, then, that a general overview of Africa’s literary output, however succinct and summary, can only be gainedthrough multilingual techniques. Scholars who are competent in only one language and one area cannot possibly claim to have a sense of the relative importance of what they study. But this is not true on a continental scale only: it also applies to the study of almost every “national” literature in sub-Saharan Africa. in order to demonstrate this, I should like to conclude with a brief consideration of the problems connected with the study of Nigerian literature on a country-wide scale.
Nigeria is one of the most important states in sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the wealthiest and most densely populated. it has also become a leading power in the field of English writing. The names of Amos Tutuola, Chinua Achebe, Christopher Okigbo and Wole Soyinka are, I am sure, familiar to all of you. More might be mentioned to show that Nigeria has produced a sizeable amount of high-quality creative writing in English in all literary fields: poetry, prose, fiction and stage drama. It is very tempting for the foreign student of Nigerian literature to consider that this body of writing in English, which is available to all readers of the language and has achieved world-wide recognition, constitutes the national literature of the country.
On closer look [sic], however, it appears that all this anglophone writing originated in southern Nigeria, and that a significantly high proportion of it came from Igbo authors from the eastern part of the area. For reasons which there is no time to discuss in the present context, the Igbo have hardly produed any creative writing in their own language. But this is not true of all sections of the Nigerian population, or all the ethnic groups which have gone to the making of the nation.
At the other end of the spectrum are the Northern Hausa, the largest group, occupying the widest segment of the country’s territory. Because they are Muslims, and proud of their adherence to one of the great world religions, the Hausa have displayed uncommon resilience to the cultural and religious imperialismof Europe. They have also remained largely loyal to the Arabic script, which they have used since the end of the eighteenth century. But although a number of Hausa writers turned to the Roman script, which makes printing easier, they have kept resolutely to their own language. With one or two insignificant exceptions, no Hausa creative writer has allowed himself to be converted to the language of the European conqueror. It goes without saying that no Hausa intellectual can possibly admit that the “national” literature of Nigeria should comprise only works in English.
In the middle of the spectrum, halfway between the Igbo and the Hausa, the Yoruba from south-western Nigeria have been equally fecund in English and in their own language. An extraordinary people of exceptional cultural creativity, gifted with a strong sense of their traditional roots and an uncommon ability to assimilate novelty, they have produced writers of bewildering of bewildering versatility. D.O. Fagunwa, who used his own mother-tongue to produce written christianised versions of his nation’s traditional lore, was the first to write in the Yoruba language. Amos Tutuola remained closer to the original significance of the same material, but created a medium of his own: the inimitable personal dialect of English which made his “romances” world famous, as much as did the wonderful fantasy inherent in the folktales he used as a source. And although the notable playwright Wole Soyinka writes in standard English, which he handles with most felicitous skill, he has a remarkable ability to turn the myths and legends of his own people into symbols endowed with universal meaning.
Nigeria is not an isolated case. The vast majority of African states are polyethnic, multilingual states. In each of them, the “national” literature comprises several linguistic strains. And if justice is to be done to the various ethnic groups that are part of the state, it is essential to take all those linguistic trends into account.”
*
fascinating and unexpectedly but gratifyingly polemic, although a bit dated. the appendices on literature in several South African languages (which occupy almost half of the book) were interesting snapshots of their time, and they lead me inevitably to wonder what a new version of this book would look like.
Nigeria is one of the most important states in sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the wealthiest and most densely populated. it has also become a leading power in the field of English writing. The names of Amos Tutuola, Chinua Achebe, Christopher Okigbo and Wole Soyinka are, I am sure, familiar to all of you. More might be mentioned to show that Nigeria has produced a sizeable amount of high-quality creative writing in English in all literary fields: poetry, prose, fiction and stage drama. It is very tempting for the foreign student of Nigerian literature to consider that this body of writing in English, which is available to all readers of the language and has achieved world-wide recognition, constitutes the national literature of the country.
On closer look [sic], however, it appears that all this anglophone writing originated in southern Nigeria, and that a significantly high proportion of it came from Igbo authors from the eastern part of the area. For reasons which there is no time to discuss in the present context, the Igbo have hardly produed any creative writing in their own language. But this is not true of all sections of the Nigerian population, or all the ethnic groups which have gone to the making of the nation.
At the other end of the spectrum are the Northern Hausa, the largest group, occupying the widest segment of the country’s territory. Because they are Muslims, and proud of their adherence to one of the great world religions, the Hausa have displayed uncommon resilience to the cultural and religious imperialismof Europe. They have also remained largely loyal to the Arabic script, which they have used since the end of the eighteenth century. But although a number of Hausa writers turned to the Roman script, which makes printing easier, they have kept resolutely to their own language. With one or two insignificant exceptions, no Hausa creative writer has allowed himself to be converted to the language of the European conqueror. It goes without saying that no Hausa intellectual can possibly admit that the “national” literature of Nigeria should comprise only works in English.
In the middle of the spectrum, halfway between the Igbo and the Hausa, the Yoruba from south-western Nigeria have been equally fecund in English and in their own language. An extraordinary people of exceptional cultural creativity, gifted with a strong sense of their traditional roots and an uncommon ability to assimilate novelty, they have produced writers of bewildering of bewildering versatility. D.O. Fagunwa, who used his own mother-tongue to produce written christianised versions of his nation’s traditional lore, was the first to write in the Yoruba language. Amos Tutuola remained closer to the original significance of the same material, but created a medium of his own: the inimitable personal dialect of English which made his “romances” world famous, as much as did the wonderful fantasy inherent in the folktales he used as a source. And although the notable playwright Wole Soyinka writes in standard English, which he handles with most felicitous skill, he has a remarkable ability to turn the myths and legends of his own people into symbols endowed with universal meaning.
Nigeria is not an isolated case. The vast majority of African states are polyethnic, multilingual states. In each of them, the “national” literature comprises several linguistic strains. And if justice is to be done to the various ethnic groups that are part of the state, it is essential to take all those linguistic trends into account.”
*
fascinating and unexpectedly but gratifyingly polemic, although a bit dated. the appendices on literature in several South African languages (which occupy almost half of the book) were interesting snapshots of their time, and they lead me inevitably to wonder what a new version of this book would look like.
Displaying 1 of 1 review