African Literature Blog
Discover the latest books by African writers and learn how to improve your writing skills.
African Literature is an oral and written narrative of African stories. This narrative can be divided into three periods: pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial. In pre-colonial days, Africans told their stories orally through folklore. Usually, a village elder gathered around children, telling them of the spider, the main character, and its trickery ways over other animals. Among the Kru tribe, the spider is called Togbasawlennoh. The elder also told of the village history, the story of the tribe and traditional legends. However, there were written narratives of African stories, including the "Book of Kings" from Ethiopia in the fourth Century AD.
During colonization, African literature dealt with slavery and later with liberation. "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa," an autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, a formerly enslaved person, was read in the West. The book was written in 1789. It tells the story of Equiano's life in slavery, freedom, and business profession.
The civil rights movement in the US, particularly in the 1960s, contributed significantly to the advocacy and struggle for African liberation. Africans, including Kwame Nkrumah and others, who were students in America and Europe, returned home and engaged in independence activism. Their struggle resulted in the independence of the continent. Their written memoirs tell their stories. For instance, Nkrumah wrote "Ghana: The Autobiography of Kwame Nkrumah" in 1957, "Africa Must Unite" in 1963; Jomo Kanyatta's "Facing Mount Kanya" in 1938; Nnamdi Azikiwe's "My Odyssey," 1970, and Julius Nyerere's Ujamaa, 1965. Ghana gained independence on March 6, 1957, and Nkrumah became prime minister. Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960. Azikiwe served as the first ceremonial president. Nyerere became prime minister for Tanganyika in 1961. When Tanganyika and Zanzibar united, forming Tanzania, he served as president of Tanzania. Kenya gained independence on December 12, 1963. Kenyatta became prime minister.
Interestingly, the African independence movement also enhanced the civil rights struggles of Black Americans. The movement encouraged them to continue the fight and not give up. This relationship resulted from the renewal of social and cultural ties between brothers and sisters, as by the late 1960s, Black Americans officially identified themselves as African Americans. Many have made Africa their home. For example, W.E.B. DuBois, a pioneer civil rights fighter in the US in the early 1900s, naturalized as a citizen of Ghana after independence. DuBois' move was instrumental and meaningful. Both Blacks and Whites admired and respected him. He was the first Harvard University Black American Ph.D. graduate, was a popular creator of the “Talented Tenth”, editor of the Crisis Magazine and a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was a Pan-Africanist and a prolific writer. His 1903 “The Souls of Black Folks” is a landmark “work in African-American Literature”.
African literature became prevalent in the post-colonial period. People worldwide read African writings, particularly stories by Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian writer considered the father of modern African literature. Achebe's "Things Fell Apart," a 1958 publication, received international acclaim. He further wrote, "No Longer at Ease (1960), "Arrow of God" (1964), "African Trilogy," "A Man of the People" (1966), and "Anthills of the Savannah" (1987). Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Alain Mabanchou, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Wole Soyinka followed Achebe. African literature has improved and can be read globally, particularly with the advent of the internet.
Below are some of the current books by African writers for 2023.
The Middle Daughter, Chika Unigwe.
Strange and Difficult Times: Notes on a Global Pandemic, Nanjala Nyabola.
When We Were Fireflies, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim.
Saltwater Demands A Psalm, Kweku Abimbola.
Whites Can Dance Too, Kalaf Epalanga.
Azúcar, Nii Ayikwei Parkes.
HOW TO BECOME A GOOD WRITER
Writing can be a gift, a blessing from God. Many people became writers with little learning. But generally, most people learn how to write. I will post articles from others, including me, on writing tips in this space.
I look forward to that.
