Module 2: Pre colonial Literature
Posted by: Cleofe G. Coquilla
Source:
http://www.answers.com/topic/african-literature
http://www.answers.com/topic/african-literature
http://africanhistory.about.com/od/kingdoms/PreColonial_Africa.htm
http://dss.ucsd.edu/~ccgibson/docs/Murombedzi%20-%20Pre-colonial%20and%20Colonial%20Origins.pdf
http://dss.ucsd.edu/~ccgibson/docs/Murombedzi%20-%20Pre-colonial%20and%20Colonial%20Origins.pdf
This module intends to let the students:
1. Identify what is Pre colonial literature
2. Appreciate African literature
3. Familiarize with Pre colonial African literature
3. Familiarize with Pre colonial African literature
Introduction:
Precolonial literature during this era Africa was influenced by two major movements: the expansion and consolidation of Islam and the dispersion of the Bantu peoples which led to the the development of many kingdoms and empires. Investigate the impact, interaction, and conflict which arose and the development of trade and exchange -- both of commodities and culture.Pre-colonial conservation practices have tended to be romanticized by most contemporary commentators.
There is a dearth of information about these practices, although available evidence does indicate that as precolonial society became first regimented then stratified, access to and use of natural resources also came to be stratified, and conservation practices to reflect the attempts to balance competing interests. Such recorded pre-colonial conservation practices as the demarcation of sacred areas, the allocation of totems, the expropriation of labor for conservation etc, did not necessarily reflect egalitarian and consensual conservation, but rather the exercise of power over people and resources by dominant clans or classes, as the case would have been.
Examples of pre-colonial African literature are numerous. Oral literature of west Africa includes the Epic of Sundiata composed in medieval Mali, The older Epic of Dinga from the old Ghana Empire. In Ethiopia, originally written in Ge'ez script is the Kebra Negast or book of kings. One popular form of traditional African folktale is the "trickster" story, where a small animal uses its wits to survive encounters with larger creatures. Examples of animal tricksters include Anansi, a spider in the folklore of the Ashanti people of Ghana; Ijàpá, a tortoise in Yoruba folklore of Nigeria; and Sungura, a hare found in central and East African folklore.[5] Other works in written form are abundant, namely in north Africa, the Sahel regions of west Africa and on the Swahili coast. From Timbuktu alone, there are an estimated 300,000 or more manuscripts tucked away in various libraries and private collections[6], mostly written in Arabic, but some in the native languages (namely Fula and Songhai)[7]. Many were written at the famous University of Timbuktu. The material covers a wide array of topics, including Astronomy, Poetry, Law, History, Faith, Politics, and Philosophy among others.[8] Swahili literature similarly, draws inspiration from Islamic teachings but developed under indigenous circumstances. One of the most renowned and earliest pieces of Swahili literature being Utendi wa Tambuka or "The Story of Tambuka".
In Islamic times, North Africans such as ibn Khaldun attained great distinction within Arabic literature. Medieval north Africa boasted Universities such as those of Fez and Cairo, with copious amounts of literature to supplement them
Assessment:
1.What are the two movements that influenced Africa during this era?
2.What is Pre colonial literature?
3What is one popular form of traditional African folktale?
4.Give examples of animal tricksters.
0 comments:
Post a Comment