Characteristics of African Literature

The wide range and depth of African literature frequently reflect the diverse nature of
the continent’s history, cultures, and social challenges. It includes a range of literary forms,
including novels, poetry, folklore, and oral traditions. That being said, some commonalities
shared by literature come from the continent as a whole.
Presented below are some of the characteristics of African literature:

 African Literature preserves the rich culture and traditions of Africa. The myths
and the trickster tale, typically explain the creation of the universe, the activities of
God(s), and the essence of existence.

 Literature in Africa consists of a body of works in different languages written in

African and European languages. The English-Language Literature in West, East,
and Southern part of Africa. An example is the famous novel of Chinua Achebe
“Things Fall Apart” in 1958, which has become a most widely read African novel. The
French- Language Tradition from the West African countries of Senegal, Cameroon,
Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and the like. Also, there was Portuguese- Language literature but
less than the other languages. Only five African states were formerly colonies of
Portugal.

 Includes oral and written literature from more than 3,000 ethnic African
groups. It is a combination of the real and the fantastic. It combines, on the one
hand, the real (the contemporary world) and history (the realistic world of the past)
and, on the other, myth and hero, with metaphor being the agent of transformation
(Brittanica.com)

 Oral Literature comes in varied forms such as myths, folk tales, proverbs,
dramas, songs, and folk tales. They often involve stories about the creation of the
world and legends about how various powerful dynasties originated in African
regions.

 The literature often highlights the importance of community, spirituality, and the
interplay between tradition and modernity.

 Post-colonialism and Colonialism. Writers like Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (formerly known

as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o) in "Petals of Blood" explore the effects of colonialism on African
societies and the struggles of post-colonial independence.
 NOTABLE AFRICAN WRITERS, POETS AND THEIR FAMOUS WORKS

Africa took the spotlight in the realm of literature, weaving captivating stories that
reflect its diverse cultures and experiences. From ancient traditions to the modern era,
African writers and poets offer a rich composition of insights that touch the hearts through
inviting the readers to the world where stories know no limits. In fact, the following authors
left a lasting impact on African literature and beyond, through their unique perspectives
and contributions.

CHINUA ACHEBE or Albert Chinualumogu Achebe (Nigeria)

"There is no story that is not true. the world has no end and what may
be good for one people is an abomination for others "

Chinua Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930. He is often referred to

as the father of modern African literature in English. His works often
explore the impact of colonialism and the clash between traditional
African cultures and Western influences. Considered to be his
magnum opus, the African Trilogy includes Things Fall Apart, No
Longer at Ease, and Arrow of God. The African Trilogy in particular highlights the
traditional Igbo experience and emphasizes the negative effects of British colonialism on
their culture.

His famous works:

● Things Fall Apart (1958)

Things Fall Apart is acclaimed as the finest novel written about life in Nigeria at
the end of the nineteenth century. Published in 1958, it is unquestionably the
world’s most widely read African novel, having sold more than eight million
copies in English and been translated into fifty languages. But it offers far more
than access to pre-colonial Nigeria and the cataclysmic changes brought about
by the British (Kandell, 2013).

● No Longer at Ease (1960)

 No Longer at Ease (1960) he portrayed a newly appointed civil servant, recently
returned from university study in England, who is unable to sustain the moral
values he believes to be correct in the face of the obligations and temptations of
his new position. From the moment the book begins the main character, Obi
Okonkwo, is confronted with the issue of bribery. From the moment he arrives
at customs to the point at where he gives in to taking bribes himself, the voice
of Achebe lingers in the backdrop through the words (Kandell, 2013).

● Arrow of God (1964)

In Arrow of God (1964), set in the 1920s in a village under British

administration, the principal character, the chief priest of the village, whose
son becomes a zealous Christian, turns his resentment at the position he is
placed in by the white man against his own people (Kandell, 2013).

Achebe's other works were A Man of the People (1966) and Anthills of the Savannah (1987)
deal with corruption and other aspects of postcolonial African life.

CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE (Nigeria)

“But by far the worst thing we do to males — by making them feel they
have to be hard — is that we leave them with very fragile egos. The
harder a man feels compelled to be, the weaker his ego is.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Nigeria in 1977. She

gained international acclaim for her novels that explore themes of
identity, feminism, and post-colonialism. Her writing is known for its compelling
storytelling and strong female characters. In 2017, Fortune magazine ranked Adichie as
one of the 50 most influential people in the world. Her novels, short stories, and nonfiction
explore the intersections of identity (Freeman, 2017).

Her famous works:

● Half of a Yellow Sun (2006)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun offers a heart-wrenching

account of the Biafran War (1967-1970), beautifully wrapped in a story of love,
loyalty, betrayal, resilience, and hope. She places a human face on a war that
has been far removed from historical memory outside of Nigeria. Following a
failed coup, Nigeria's Igbo population, centered in the east of the country,
seceded to form a proto-independent state called Biafra. Her story is about the
human impacts of the Biafran War (also known as the Nigerian Civil War). It
gained international acclaim for its depiction of the devastation caused by the
Nigerian Civil War (Freeman, 2017).

● Americanah (2013)

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah is the story of a young Nigerian

woman, Ifemelu (whose persona represents the novel title), who migrates to the
United States of America (USA) to study. On arrival, she experiences racism,
which is not an issue in her country. Ifemelu's skin color is a stumbling block
that evolves into significant challenges - acclimatizing to her new home,
thriving in her relationship, becoming a renowned blogger and living
comfortably in her identity (Dasi, 2019).
 ● We Should All be Feminists (2014)

The book ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ can be read as a primer to understand
feminism. While the author shares her experiences of facing gender-based
discrimination and those of her friends and family in Nigeria, the issues
presented in the book are still universal in the sense, people across the world
can relate to them (Shukla, 2020).

ALAIN MABANCKOU (Congo)

“I'm nothing, I'm everything,' he declared. 'The street is my

mother. The sun is my father. What more should I ask of life?”

Alain Mabanckou is a renowned Congolese writer and

poet born on February 24, 1966, in Pointe-Noire, Republic of the
Congo. He is known for his vibrant and innovative writing style
that often blends humor, satire, and social commentary.
Mabanckou's works often explore themes related to postcolonial
Africa, identity, migration, and the complexities of human
relationships. In 1998, he received the Grand prix littéraire
d’Afrique noire — one of the major literary prizes for French-language literature in
Africa (Kuiper, 2016).

His famous works:

● Bleu-Blanc-Rouge (Blue White Red) (1998)

 Blue White Red is a novel of postcolonial Africa where young people born into
poverty dream of making it big in the cities of their former colonial masters.
Alain Mabanckou's searing commentary on the lives of Africans in France is
cut with the parody of African villagers who boast of a son in the country of
Digol (Indiana University Press, 2013).

● Verre cassé (Broken Glass) (2005)

Broken Glass reflects Mabanckou’s concern with an individual’s ability to

digest the worst experiences living may propose. No chronicle is particularly
critical, but each one dives deep into the persistence of survival when only the
sparsest threads of it remain. There is no individual considered without
damage, many to an irreparable extent, but their tales convey an undeniable
meaning, one that Mabanckou readily distills within his text (Bokemper,
2018).

● Mémoires de porc-épic (Memoirs of a Porcupine) (2006)

 Mémoires de porc-épic is a fun story looking at greed, power and human
nature through some very un-human eyes. It all unfolds against a backdrop of
African mythology and superstition, such as the idea of ‘doubles’, which
provides an explanation for sudden deaths in the village. There are also a
number of witch-doctors, scary old women, sinister children and animals doing
what they shouldn’t, making for a rather intriguing life for our porcupine
friend.

● Petit Piment or Black Moses (2015)

Alain Mabanckou’s Black Moses is the story of the life of a Congolese orphan
named Moses. His full name is Tokumisa Nzambe po Mose yamoyindo abotami
namboka ya Bakoko, which means “Thanks be to God, the black Moses is born
on the earth of our ancestors” in Lingala. His grandly prophetic name leads
him to a destiny that’s far less linear than that of the original Moses, but just
as gripping and fantastical (Lever, 2017).

NGUGI WA THIONG’O (Kenya)

"I'm more trying to connect; I'm more listening to people.

Whatever I get is very meaningful to me."

Original name James Thiong’o Ngugi, (born January 5, 1938,

Limuru, Kenya), Kenyan writer who was considered East
Africa’s leading novelist. His popular Weep Not, Child (1964)
was the first major novel in English by an East African. As he
became sensitized to the effects of colonialism in Africa, Ngugi
 adopted his traditional name and wrote in the Bantu language of Kenya’s Kikuyu
people (Kuiper, 2016).

His famous works:

● Weep Not, Child (1964)

Weep Not, Child, the first novel published in English by a black writer from
East Africa, launched the career of the most famous of Kenyan novelists. The
novel explores the negative aspects of colonial rule over Kenya. Njoroge's
aspiration to attend university is frustrated by both the violence of the Mau
Mau rebels and the violent response of the colonial government. This
disappointment leads to his alienation from his family and ultimately his
suicide attempt (Robson, 1979).

● A Grain of Wheat (1967)

His works were A Grain of Wheat published in 1967, that gained him
international renown, generally held to be artistically more mature, focuses on
the many social, moral, and racial issues of the struggle for independence and
its aftermath.

Thiong'o’s The River Between (1965), which was actually written before the others, tells of
lovers kept apart by the conflict between Christianity and traditional ways and beliefs and
suggests that efforts to reunite a culturally divided community by means of Western
education are doomed to failure. Petals of Blood (1977) deals with social and economic
problems in East Africa after independence, particularly the continued exploitation of
peasants and workers by foreign business interests and a greedy indigenous bourgeoisie.

WOLE SOYINKA or Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka (Nigeria)

“Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to
suppress the truth.”

Wole Soyinka, born in 1934 in Nigeria, is a playwright, poet,

and essayist. He was the first African laureate of the Nobel
Prize in Literature, awarded in 1986. His works frequently
address political and social issues. Alongside his literary
career, he has also worked as an actor and in theaters in
Nigeria and Great Britain. His works also include poetry, novels, and essays. Soyinka
writes in English, but his works are rooted in his native Nigeria and the Yoruba
culture, with its legends, tales, and traditions. His writing also includes influences
from Western traditions—from classical tragedies to modernist drama.

His famous works:

● A Dance of the Forests (1963)

Upon his return to Nigeria, he founded an acting company and wrote his first
important play, A Dance of the Forests (produced 1960; published 1963), for
the Nigerian independence celebrations. The play satirizes the fledgling nation
by stripping it of romantic legend and by showing that the present is no more a
golden age than was the past.

● Death and the King’s Horseman (1975)

 This anti-colonialist drama was inspired by real-life events when the king died
during the colonization of Nigeria by the British Empire. The play Death and
the King’s Horseman tells the story of the obstacles that Elesin Oba—the king’s
horseman—faces on the night he is supposed to commit ritual suicide to follow
the recently departed king into the afterlife. Elesin struggles with his
commitment to following through with the act, even as the English colonial
officer Simon Pilkings also tries to prevent his death. Elesin knows that failure
to fulfill his duty could lead to strife for his people, but neither he nor Pilkings
are prepared for the consequences of his failure to fulfill his duty.

● Myth, Literature, and the African World (1976)

Soyinka's principal critical work is Myth, Literature, and the African World
(1976), a collection of essays in which he examines the role of the artist in the
light of Yoruba mythology and symbolism.

Soyinka’s other works were Art, Dialogue, and Outrage (1988) is a work on similar themes
of art, culture, and society. He continued to address Africa’s ills and Western responsibility
in The Open Sore of a Continent (1996) and The Burden of Memory, the Muse of Forgiveness
(1999). Though he considered himself primarily a playwright, Soyinka also wrote the novels
The Interpreters (1965), Season of Anomy (1973), and Chronicles from the Land of the
Happiest People on Earth (2021), the latter of which drew particular praise for its satirical
take on corruption in Nigeria. His several volumes of poetry included Idanre, and Other
Poems (1967) and Poems from Prison (1969; republished as A Shuttle in the Crypt, 1972),
published together as Early Poems (1998); Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems (1988); and
Samarkand and Other Markets I Have Known (2002). His verse is characterized by a precise
command of language and a mastery of lyric, dramatic, and meditative poetic forms. He
wrote a good deal of Poems from Prison while he was jailed in 1967–69 for speaking out
against the war brought on by the attempted secession of Biafra from Nigeria. The Man
Died (1972) is his prose account of his arrest and 22-month imprisonment.

References :

Blue White Red. (2013, February 1). Indiana University Press. Retrieved
August 19, 2023, from https://iupress.org/9780253007919/blue-white-red

Bokemper, D. (2018). Trans. Helen Stevenson. New York. Soft Skull Press. 2018. Retrieved
August 19, 2023 from https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/2019/winter/broken-glass-
alain-mabanckou

Colin Freeman, Telegraph, Jan. 21, 2017,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/21/man-fighting-independence-tiny-west-
african-nation-biafra-council/.

Dasi, E., 2019, 'The intersection of race, beauty and identity: The migrant experience in
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah', Studies in Linguistics and Literature 3(2), 140.

Death and the King’s Horseman. Encyclopedia.com. (n.d.). Death and the King’s Horseman |
Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023 from
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/death-and-kings-horseman

Kandell, Jonathan. "Chinua Achebe, African Literary Titan, Dies at 82." The New York
Times, March 23, 2013.

Kuiper, K. (2016) . Alain Mabanckou (Congolese Author). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved

August 19, 2023 from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alain-Mabanckou

Kuiper, K. (2016) . Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenyan writer). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved

August 19, 2023 from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ngugi-wa-Thiongo

Lever. (2017, July 27). “Black Moses” by Alain Mabanckou - Words Without Borders. Words
Without Borders. Retrieved August 19, 2023, from https://wordswithoutborders.org/book-
reviews/black-moses-by-alain-mabanckou/

Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Weep Not, Child. Ibadan, Nigeria: Heinemann, 1964.

Robson, Clifford. Ngugi wa Thiong’o. London: Macmillan, 1979. Retrieved August 19, 2023
from https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/weep-not-child
Shukla, S. (2020, June 22). Why ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ by Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie Is a Mandatory Read. Feminism in India. Retrieved August 19, 2023, from
https://feminisminindia.com/2020/06/23/book-review-we-should-all-be-feminists-
chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/

Soyinka, W. (2023). Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Retrieved August
20, 2023 from https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1986/soyinka/facts/
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - Teacher’s Guide: 9780385474542 -
PenguinRandomHouse.com: books. (1994, September 1). PenguinRandomhouse.com.

Tendai T.L. Huchu

Born in 1982 in Bindura, Zimbabwe, he commenced Mining Engineering studies at

the University of Harare but left during the first semester. He held diverse jobs,
including casino work. His writing journey started in 2010. He's recognized for
novels like "The Hairdresser of Harare" and "The Maestro, The Magistrate & The
Mathematician" (Graeme, 2021).
His famous works:

1. The Hairdresser of Harare is the debut fictional novel from author

Tendai Huchu. This is an incredible first novel that came out to much positive acclaim
(Graeme, 2021).

2. The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician is the second novel
to come out from author T.L. Huchu. This story is set in Britain, where it follows three men that
are very different yet share some things in common. They are all dealing with their own
thoughts when it comes to finding a place to belong, finding love, discovering and figuring out
who they are, and dealing with loss(Graeme, 2021).

Peter Abrahams

Peter Abrahams was a writer, political analyst, and journalist who was born in South
Africa.Abrahams, a well-known author from South Africa, was born to an Ethiopian father and a
Colored (i.e., mixed-race) South African mother. His 13 novels primarily address social concerns,
including racism and South Africa's recognized system of segregation known as apartheid
(Abrahams).

His Famous works:

Mine Boy is Peter Abrahams's 1946 novel Mine Boy follows a young farm boy
from the northern part of South Africa named Xuma as he moves to Johannesburg to work in a gold
mine(Abrahams).

Down the Rabbit Hole (An Echo Falls Mystery) Down the Rabbit Hole is the first book in
the Echo Falls mystery series by bestselling crime novelist Peter Abrahams. In the novel "Down the
Rabbit Hole," Ingrid Levin-Hill, an eighth-grade student, finds herself in an unfortunate situation due to
the misplacement of her shoes. Retrieving her shoes becomes intricately tied to a complex murder
inquiry, resembling the intricate cases that her role model, Sherlock Holmes (Abrahams, 2012).
Camara Laye

Camara Laye emerged as a notable African writer hailing from Guinea. Renowned for
crafting "The African Child," a novel loosely inspired by his own youth, and "The Radiance of the
King," Laye holds distinction for producing two of the pioneering pieces in the realm of Francophone
African literature (Jones, 2021).

His famous works:

L’Enfant noir (1953; The Dark Child), This was his first published novel in 1953,
recreates nostalgically his childhood days in Guinea in a flowing, poetic prose(Jones,2021).
 Le Regard du roi (The Radiance of the King), In 1954, Camara Laye released this novel
acclaimed by certain critics as Laye's paramount achievement. This narrative recounts the journey of
a Caucasian man through the jungle, driven by the ambition to meet an African monarch. The novel's
intense and unsettling ambiance draws parallels to the literary approaches seen in the works of Franz
Kafka and Nigerian writer Amos Tutuola.

Dramouss (1966; A Dream of Africa) This is the sequel to L’Enfant noir diverges from
its predecessor by containing less nostalgic sentiment and a substantially amplified focus on social
commentary. This transformation is brought about by the central character, who, upon reentry into his
native land after six years in Paris, encounters a landscape marred by political violence, supplanting
the very values and lifestyle he had longed for during his time abroad.

Ayi Kwei Armah

Ayi Kwei Armah, a modern Ghanaian novelist, has remained outspoken and
unwavering for over four decades in his criticism of Western education and its enduring impact on the
African continent (Mami, 2011).
His famous works:

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born(1968), his first novel that has solidified his status
as a prominent African author, placing him in the company of other notable writers like Chinua
Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Ngugi Wa Thing'o.

Fragments (1970) his second novel, a young Ghanaian returns home after living in the
United States and is disillusioned by the Western-inspired materialism and moral decay that he sees
around him.
Nadine Gordimer

Nadine Gordimer, was born in Springs, South Africa. She secured the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1991, becoming the inaugural South African recipient of this honor. She authored an
additional fourteen novels, along with a collection of short stories and non-fiction works (Pimstone).
Her famous works:

The Lying Days, Gorimer’s first novel was published in 1953, tells the story of Helen
Shaw, daughter of white middle-class parents in a small gold-mining town in South Africa.

Burger’s Daughter stands as a political novel, it was initially released in 1979 and
faced an initial ban from the apartheid-era government in South Africa. The narrative chronicles a
cluster of white anti-apartheid activists in the nation as they endeavor to dismantle the ruling South
African government.

REFERENCES:
Abrahams, P. (n.d.). Peter Abrahams Biography: List of works, study guides & essays.
GradeSaver. https://www.gradesaver.com/author/peter-abrahams

Abrahams, P. (2012). Down the rabbit hole. Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Down-Rabbit-Hole-

Falls-Mystery/dp/0060737034/?
_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=SpIPI&content-
id=amzn1.sym.ed85217c-14c9-4aa0-b248-
e47393e2ce12&pf_rd_p=ed85217c-14c9-4aa0-b248-
e47393e2ce12&pf_rd_r=132-2
Burger’s daughter summary. SuperSummary. (n.d.). https://www.supersummary.com/burger-s-
daughter/summary/
Graeme. (2021, August 2). Tendai huchu. Book Series in Order.
https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/tendai-huchu/
Jones, J. (2021, May 11). Camara Laye: Author of. Black Then. https://blackthen.com/camara-laye-
author-african-child/

Mami, F. (2011, October 20). Ayi Kwei Armah’s intellectuals of the African Renaissance. Cadernos de
Estudos Africanos. https://journals.openedition.org/cea/233
Pimstone, M. S. and M. (n.d.). Nadine Gordimer. Jewish Women’s Archive.
https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/gordimer-nadine
Tendai huchu. international literature festival berlin. (2022, May 13).
https://literaturfestival.com/en/authors/tendai-huchu/#:~:text=Tendai
%20Huchu%20was%20born%20in,writing%20career%20began
%20in%202010.
 Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer
(Summary)

"Once Upon a Time" is a short story by the South African writer Nadine Gordimer. Published in
1989, the story reflects Gordimer's concerns about the deepening social divisions and the
impact of apartheid in South Africa.
The story presents a layered narrative where the author uses a metafictional approach to
explore themes of fear, segregation, and the dangers of excessive security measures. The plot
revolves around a middle-class family living in a gated community, separated from the outside
world by high walls, alarms, and other security measures. Despite their isolation, they remain
paranoid about the perceived dangers of the outside world.
The family's attempts to create an impenetrable fortress mirror the larger social context of
apartheid-era South Africa, where racial segregation and discrimination were rampant.
Through this microcosm, Gordimer addresses the psychological and emotional consequences
of such isolation and the fear-driven culture it fosters.
The narrative takes a turn when the family decides to hire a skilled storyteller to keep them
entertained. This storyteller, who represents the marginalized and oppressed voices of society,
introduces an element of contrast to the family's insulated life. The tale she tells serves as a
symbolic critique of their artificial security, highlighting the irony of their situation.
As the story progresses, the family's fear escalates, leading to a tragic incident that serves as a
culmination of their paranoia and the story's underlying themes. The ending leaves readers
contemplating the destructive consequences of living in constant fear and isolation.

"Once Upon a Time" is a powerful critique of the apartheid system, reflecting Gordimer's
commitment to shedding light on the injustices and societal fractures of her time. The story's
timeless themes of fear, segregation, and the human cost of such divisions continue to
resonate with readers beyond its original context.
 Once Upon a Time” by Nadine Gordimer

Someone has written to ask me to contribute to a book of stories for children. I reply that I
don’t write children’s stories; and he writes back that at a recent book fair, a certain author
said every writer should write at least one story for children. I think of sending a postcard
saying I don’t accept that I “should” write anything. And then last night I woke up—or was
wakened without knowing what I heard. A voice in my mind? A sound. A creaking of the kind
made by one foot after another along a wooden floor. I listened with concentration. Again: the
creaking. I was staring at the door in the dark. The house I sleep in is built on broken ground;
far under the house, tunnels of gold mines have hollowed the rock below. The misbeats of my
heart faded like the last sounds of the wooden xylophones made by Chopi and Tsonga migrant
miners who might have been under me in the earth. Those men might be buried there now in
the deepest of tombs. I couldn’t find a position in which my mind would let go of my body—let
me go to sleep again. So I began to tell myself a story; a bedtime story. In a house, in a suburb,
in a city, there were a man and his wife who loved each other very much and were living
happily ever after. They had a little boy, and they loved him very much. They had a cat and a
dog that the little boy loved very much. They had a car and a van for holidays, and a fenced
swimming pool so the little boy and his friends would not fall in and drown. They had a
trustworthy housemaid and a gardener who was highly recommended by the neighbors. For
when they began to live happily ever after they were warned, by that wise old witch, the
husband’s mother, not to take people off the street. Their pet dog was licensed, they were
insured, and the local Neighborhood Watch gave them with a sign for their gates lettered YOU
HAVE BEEN WARNED over the figure of a robber. He was masked; it could not be said if he was
black or white, and showed the home owner was no racist. It was not possible to insure the
house, the swimming pool, or the car against riot damage. There were riots, but these were
outside the city, where people of another color lived. These people were not allowed into the
suburb except as housemaids and gardeners, so there was nothing to fear, the husband told
the wife. Yet she was afraid that some day such people might come up the street and tear off
the sign YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED and open the gates and come in. Nonsense, my dear, said
the husband, there are police and soldiers and tear gas and guns to keep them away. But to
please her—for he loved her very much and buses were being burned, cars broken into, and
schoolchildren shot by the police in neighborhoods out of sight and hearing of the suburb—he
put electronically controlled gates around the house. The riots were stopped, but there were
many robberies in the suburb and somebody’s housemaid was tied up by thieves. The
housemaid of the man and wife and little boy was so upset by this that she asked her
employers to have bars attached to the doors and windows of the house, and an alarm system
put in. The wife said, She is right, let us listen to her. So from every window and door in the
house where they were living happily ever after they now saw the trees and sky through bars.
The alarm was often answered—it seemed—by other burglar alarms, in other houses, set off
by pet cats or mice. The neighborhood soon became used to it. Under the noise thieves broke
into homes, taking away television sets, cameras and radios, jewelry and clothing, and they
stopped to drink the whiskey. Insurance companies did not pay back for whiskey. Then people
who were not trusted housemaids and gardeners hung around the suburb because they were
unemployed. Some asked for a job: weeding or painting a roof; anything, boss, madam. But
the man and his wife remembered the warning about taking people off the street. Some drank
liquor and trashed the street with bottles. Some begged, waiting for the man or his wife to
drive the car out of their home. They sat with their feet in the streets, under the jacaranda
trees of the beautiful suburb and sometimes fell asleep lying in front of the gates in the
afternoon sun. The wife could never see anyone go hungry. She sent the trusted housemaid
out with bread and tea, but the housemaid said these were loafers and hooligans, who would
come and tie her up. The husband said, She’s right. Listen to her. You only encourage them
with your bread and tea. They are looking for their chance. You are right, said the wife, then
the wall should be higher. And the wise old witch, the husband’s mother, paid for the extra
bricks as her Christmas present to her son and his wife—the little boy got a Space Man outfit
and a book of fairy tales. But every week there were more reports of break-ins: in daylight and
the middle of the night, in the early hours of the morning, and even in the lovely summer
twilight. When the man and wife and little boy took the pet dog for its walk around the
neighborhood they no longer looked at the houses hidden behind security fences and walls.
While the little boy and the pet dog raced ahead, the husband and wife decided only one
security system was worth buying. It was the ugliest but the most honest. Placed the length of
walls, it was a long coil of shining metal blades, so there would be no way of climbing over it
and no way through without getting stuck in its fangs. There would be no way out, only a
struggle getting bloodier and bloodier, a deeper and sharper hooking and tearing of flesh. The
wife shook to look at it. You’re right, said the husband, anyone would think twice. And they
noticed a small sign on the wall: Call DRAGON’S TEETH The People For Total Security. The next
day, workmen came and put razor-bladed coils around the walls of the house. The sunlight
flashed and slashed, off the blades, the razor thorns circled the home, shining. One evening,
the mother read the little boy to sleep with a fairy story from the book the wise old witch had
given him at Christmas. The next day he pretended to be the Prince who braves the thorns to
enter the palace and kiss the Sleeping Beauty back to life: he set a ladder next to the wall, the
shining coiled tunnel was just wide enough for his little body to crawl in, and with the first
fixing of its razor teeth in his knees and hands and head he screamed and struggled deeper
into its tangle. The trusted housemaid and the gardener, whose “day” it was, came running,
the first to see and to scream with him, and the gardener tore his hands trying to get at the
little boy. Then the man and his wife burst wildly into the garden and for some reason (the cat,
probably) the alarm set off against the screams while the bleeding mass of the little boy was
hacked out of the security coil with saws and wire cutters, and they carried it—the man, the
wife, the hysterical trusted housemaid, and the weeping gardener—into the house.
 Anticipation
Mabel Dove DANQUIA
(WELMAELYN L. KIAY)
Nana Adaku Il, Omanhene of Akwasin, was celebrating the twentieth anniversary of his
accession to the stool of Akwasin. The capital, Nkwabi, was thronged with people from the
outlying towns and villages.

It was in the height of the cocoa season, money was circulating freely and farmers were
spending to their hearts' content. Friends who had not seen one another for a long time were
renewing their friendship. They called with gifts of gin, champagne or whiskey, recalled old
days with gusto and before departing imbibed most of the drinks they brought as gifts. No
one cared, everyone was happy. Few could be seen in European attire; nearly all were in
Gold Coast costume. The men had tokota sandals on their feet, and rich multicolored
velvet and gorgeous, hand-woven kente cloths nicely wrapped round their bodies. The
women, with golden ear-rings dangling, with golden chains and bracelets, looked dignified
in their colorful native attire.

The state drums were beating paeans of joy.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon and people were walking to the state park where the
Odwira was to be staged. Enclosures of palm leaves decorated the grounds.

The Omanhene arrived in a palanquin under a brightly-patterned state umbrella, a golden

crown on his head, his kente studded with tiny golden beads, rows upon rows of golden
necklaces piled high on his chest. He wore bracelets of gold from the wrists right up to the
elbows. He held in his right hand a decorated elephant tail which he waved to his
enthusiastic, cheering people. In front of him sat his "soul," a young boy of twelve, holding
the sword of office.

After the Omanhene came the Adontehene, the next in importance. He was resplendent
in rich green and red velvet cloth; his head band was studded with golden bars. Other
chiefs came one after the other under their brightlycolored state umbrellas. The procession
was long. The crowd raised cheers as each palanquin was lowered, and the drums went on
beating resounding joys of jubilation. The Omanhene took his seat on the dais with his
Elders. The District Commissioner, Captain Hobbs, was near him. Sasa, the jester, looked
ludicrous in his motley pair of trousers and his cap of monkey skin.
 From An African Treasury, edited by Langston Hughes. 0 by Langston Hughes. Used by
permissicn Of Crown Publishers, Inc.

He made faces at the Omanhene, he leered, did acrobatic stunts; the Omanhene Din, could
not laugh: it was against custom for the great Chief to be moved to Int. laughter in public.

The state park presented a scene of barbaric splendor. Chiefs and their retinue sat on
native stools under state umbrellas Of diverse colors. The golden linguist staves of office
gleamed in the sunlight. The women, like tropical butterflies, looked charming in their
multicolored brocaded silk, kente and velvet, and the Oduku headdress, black and shiny,
studded with long golden pins and slides. Young men paraded the grounds, their flowing
cloths trailing behind them, their silken plaited headbands glittering in the sun.

The drums beat on.

The women are going to perform the celebrated Adowa dance. The decorated
calabashes make rhythm. The women run a few steps, move slowly sideways and sway
their shoulders. One dancer looks particularly enchanting in her green, blue and red
square kente, moving with the simple, charming grace of a wild woodland creature: the
Chief is stirred, and throws a handful of loose cash into the, crowd of dancers. She
smiles as the coins fall on her and tinkle to the ground. There. is a rush. She makes no
sign but keeps on dancing.
The Omanhene turns to his trusted linguist:
"Who is that beautiful dancer?"
"1 am sorry, I do not know her."
"l must have her as a wife."
(f
Nana. Adaku Il was qctyzfi_ye and he had already forty wives, but a new him the same
new thrill as it did the man who is blessed — or cursed = vyj.th_only one. better half.
Desire again burned fiercely in his veins; he was bored with his forty wives. He usually
got so mixed up among them that lately he kept calling them by the wrong names. His
new wife cried bitterly when he called her Oda, the name of an old. ugly wife.
"This dancer is totally different," thought the Chief: "she will be a joy
to the palace." He turned round to the linguist:
"I will pay one hundred pounds for her.'
''She might already be married, Nana.'
"I shall pay the husband any moneys he demands."
The linguist knew his Omanhene: when he desired a woman he
usually had his way.
"Get fifty pounds from the chief treasurer, find the relatives. give
them the money and when she is in my palace tonight I shall give her
the balance of the fifty pounds. Give the linguist staff to Kojo and
begin your investigations now.
Nana Adaku Il was a fast worker. He was like men all over the world when they are stirred
by feminine charm: a shapely leg, the flash of an eye. the quiver of a nostril, the timbre of a
voice, and the male species becomes frenzy personified. Many men go through this sort of
mania until they reach their dotage. The cynics among them treat women with a little
flattery, bland tolerance, and take fine care not to become seriously entangled for life.
Women, on the other hand, use quite a lot of common sense: They are not particularly
thrilled by the physical charms of a man; if his pockets are heavy and his income sure. he is
a good matrimonial risk. But there is evolving a new type of hardheaded modern woman
who insists on the perfect lover as well as an income and other necessaries, or stays forever
from the unbliss of marriage.

By 6 p.m. Nana Adaku Il was getting bored with the whole assembly and was very glad to
get into his palanquin. The state umbrellas danced, the chiefs sat again in their palanquins,
the crowd cheered wildly, the drums beat. Soon the shadows of evening fell and the
enclosures of palm leaves in the state park stood empty and deserted.

The Omanhene had taken his bath after dusk and changed into a gold and green brocaded
cloth. Two male servants stood on either side and fanned him with large ostrich feathers as
he reclined on a velvet-cushioned settee in his private sitting room. An envelope containing
fifty golden sovereigns was near him. He knew his linguist as a man of tact and diplomacy
and he was sure that night would bring a wife to help him celebrate the anniversary of his
accession to the Akwasin Stool,

He must have dozed. When he woke up the young woman was kneeling by his feet. He
raised her onto the settee. "Were you pleased to come?"
"I was pleased to do Nana's bidding."
"Good girl. What is your name?"
"Effua, my lord and master."
'It is a beautiful name, and you are a beautiful woman too. Here
are fifty gold sovereigns, the balance of the marriage dowry. We will
marry privately tonight and do the necessary custom afterward." Nana
Adaku Il is not the first man to use this technique. Civilized, semi-
civilized and primitive men all over the world have said the very same
thing in nearly the same words.
"I shall give the money to my mother," said the sensible girl. "She is
in the corridor. May I?'• The Chief nodded assent.
Effua returned.
"Nana, my mother and other relatives want to thank you for the
hundred pounds."
"There is no need, my beauty," and he played with the ivory beads
lying so snugly on her bosom.
"They think you must have noticed some extraordinary charm in me
for you to have spent so much money," she smiled shyly at the
Omanhene.
"But, my dear, you are charming. Haven't they eyes?"
GHANA • Mabel Dove-Danquah 119

"But, Nana, I cannot understand it myself.'

"You cannot, you modest woman. Look at yourself in that long mirror over
there."
The girl smiled mischievously, went to the mirror, looked at herself. She came back and
sat on the settee and leaned her head on his bosom.
"You are a lovely girl, Effua." He caressed her shiny black hair, so
artistically plaited.
"But, my master, I have always been like this, haven't I?"
"I suppose so, beautiful, but I only saw you today.'
"You only saw me today?'
"Today."
"Have you forgotten?'
 "Forgotten what, my love?"
"You paid fifty pounds . and married me two years ago.'

What does this story reveal about marriage customs in Africa?

Might this story have been developed differently if the writer had been a man?

The love most frequently praised by writers is young love — bold and courageous.

From An African Treasury, edited by Langston Hughes. 0 by Langston Hughes. Used by

permissicn Of Crown Publishers, Inc.
FALLING ACTION
Renz Kristian Josh C. Adlawan

Africa
By
David Diop

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral Savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
Africa, tell me Africa
Is this your back that is bent
This back that breaks under the weight of humiliation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun?
But a grave voice answers me
Impetuous child that tree, young and strong
That tree over there
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.

Summary
This poem serves as a testament to the notion that David Diop's perspective on Africa is
grounded in realism rather than romanticism. Diop recognizes the imperative of acknowledging
Africa's historical heritage, but he takes care not to become ensnared solely in the past. Instead, he
addresses the problems of Africa brought to it by white colonialism. It also gives a message to
Africans to bring about change and freedom. The popularity of the poem lies in the honest
presentation of the African ills and their remedies.
Author’s Background

David Diop
David Léon Mandessi Diop was born in 1927 in Bordeaux, France. His parents hailed from
Senegal and Cameroon, representing a blend of African heritage. Throughout his career as a writer,
he was said to be a proponent of Negritude movement. Negritude was a reaction to the French
colonial administrative policy of assimilation; this policy was predicated on the belief that Africans
possessed neither culture nor history and therefore French culture could be used to civilize them.
Negritude was open to friendship with other civilizations while seeking a profound and nearly
essentialist re-grounding of Africans in the history, values, and traditions of the Black people. The
poem “Africa” that David Diop did embodies those values. In 1960, David Diop died in an airplane
crash, he was 33 that time.