The Abysmal Use of Political Power in Novels by Ayi Kwei Armah , Chinua Achebe and Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

2015 ◽  
pp. 55-76
Author(s):  
El Hassen Ould Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Political Power ◽  
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o ◽  
Chinua Achebe ◽  
Ayi Kwei Armah

scholarly journals Literature as a Medium for Social and Political Activism: The Case of Mashingaidze Gomo’s A Fine Madness

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodwell Makombe
Keyword(s):  
Political Activism ◽  
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o ◽  
Chinua Achebe ◽  
African Context ◽  
African Writers

Abstract:Over the years, literary scholars have engaged in heated debates on the role literary artists should play in society. In the African context, this debate has been championed by scholars such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Chinua Achebe, and Okot p’ Bitek, among others. The central bone of contention has always been the question of self-narration. How should African writers narrate the African story (-ies) against the backdrop of slavery, colonialism, and neoliberal imperialism? In the context of these debates, this article seeks to read A Fine Madness by the Zimbabwean writer Mashingaidze Gomo (2010) as a socially and politically engaged text.

scholarly journals Literatura, Linguagem e Descolonização em Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (Quênia) e Chinua Achebe (Nigéria)

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Bruno Ribeiro Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Contemporary Literature ◽  
African Literature ◽  
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o ◽  
Chinua Achebe ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
African Languages ◽  
African People ◽  
History Of ◽  
African Writers ◽  
The Many

A história de literatura africana contemporânea está repleta de debates que tratam de sua utilidade frente aos povos de África e a natureza dessa literatura. Através das ideias de dois escritores africanos, Chinua Achebe e Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, este artigo revisita a história das ideias desses autores em respeito à literatura africana e sua linguagem de escrita. Tratamos de perceber como dois autores da mesma geração, porém de locais diferentes, Nigéria e Quênia, respectivamente, pensaram a produção literária e sua função em África no período pós-colonial.Palavras-chave: Chinua Achebe (1930-2013), Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1938-), Literatura Africana, Línguas Africanas AbstractThe history of African contemporary literature is full of debates that deal with its utility to the many African people and the nature of this literature. Through the ideas of two African writers, Chinua Achebe and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, we revisit the history of the ideas of these authors in relation to African literature and the language in which this literature is written. We try to perceive how authors from the same generation, but from different locals, Nigeria and Kenya, respectively, thought their literary production and its function in Africa in the post-colonial period.Keywords: Chinua Achebe (1930-2013), Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (1938-), African Literatures, African Languages

The Afterlife of Oyono's Houseboy in the Swahili Schools Market: To Be or Not to Be Faithful to the Original

PMLA ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 128 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-184
Author(s):  
Ken Walibora Waliaula
Keyword(s):  
Italian Literature ◽  
African Literature ◽  
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o ◽  
Chinua Achebe ◽  
African Languages ◽  
European Languages ◽  
False Proposition ◽  
African Experience ◽  
Dead End ◽  
Asian Languages

Africa, the world's second-largest continent, speaks over two thousand languages but rarely translates itself. it is no wonder, therefore, that Ferdinand Oyono's francophone African classic Une vie de boy (1956), translated into at least twelve European and Asian languages, exists in only one African translation—that is, if we consider as non-African Oyono's original French and the English, Arabic, and Portuguese into which it was translated. Since 1963, when Obi Wali stated in his essay “The Dead End of African Literature” that African literature in English and French was “a clear contradiction, and a false proposition,” like “Italian literature in Hausa” (14), the question of the language of African literature has animated debate. Two decades later, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o restated Wali's contention, asserting that European languages led to African “spiritual subjugation” (9). Ngũgĩ argued strongly that African literature should be written in African languages. On the other hand, Chinua Achebe defended European languages, maintaining that they could “carry the weight of African experience” (62).

scholarly journals Cultural Diversity, Ethnocentrism and Terrorism in Mukoma WA Ngugi’s Black Star Nairobi (2013)

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-373
Author(s):  
Babacar Diakhaté
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Illegal Immigration ◽  
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o ◽  
Chinua Achebe ◽  
Political Activities ◽  
Diversity Issues ◽  
African Writers

This article brings to light the obstacles that impede countries like Kenya to develop. In Black Star Nairobi, Mukoma WA Ngugi addresses cultural diversity issues and ethnic crisis.  Like other African writers such as Chinua Achebe, Ngugi WA Thiong’o, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Mukoma WA Ngugi displays to what extent Kenyans are tied to their cultures, traditions and ethnics. He demonstrates how ethnocentrism can have an impact on the socio-political activities of his people. He also pinpoints the drawbacks engendered by ethnocentrism like radicalization, terrorism and illegal immigration.

THE DOUBLE VISION OF JOSEPH CONRAD: „HEART OF DARKNESS“, A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS

Lipar ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol XXI (73) ◽  
pp. 113-131
Author(s):  
Mirko Šešlak ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Joseph Conrad ◽  
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o ◽  
Chinua Achebe ◽  
Double Vision ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Great Work ◽  
Work Of Art ◽  
Heart Of Darkness ◽  
The Subject

This article aims to explore the background of the dispute started by Chinua Achebe in his famous essay “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness”. The novel in ques- tion has become the subject of the dispute on whether it is deserving of being considered a great work of art. The reasons behind Achebe’s claim that it is not are the dehumanization of Africans found in various scenes throughout the novel, as well as the depiction of Africa itself as the barbaric and hostile other to civilized Europe. As in any such claim, while some support it, others find it faulty. There are those such as Achebe who would judge Conrad for the same reasons others, such as Bratlinger, Said, Mnthali, or Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, see him as the product of his time. This article will attempt to explore some of these claims and, if possible, determine the extent of their validity.

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