Essays

African Literature Essay

Literary works represent an integral part of any culture by reflecting their highest values and behavior of people caused by certain traditions and external factors of influence. Such approach allows society members to find out the peculiarities of other nations. These aspects have has a significant impact on the formation of humanity as a generation of a certain historical period. In this case, African nations are still the most mysterious for people who live on other continents. Thereby, African Literature can provide society members with an opportunity to get an idea of their national traditions and behaviors that have a significant impact on writing style by turning into vivid distinctive feature typical of people living in the Nile Valley.

Get expert help with your African Literature essay writing now!

African literature includes works created by authors living in the countries of the African continent. The traditions of numerous African nations have turned into a foundation for the formation of African literature by creating a single culture in the process of historical development with the cultural traditions of Europe, Asia, India and America. Literatures of African countries have been formed on the basis of traditions of oral folk art as a result of the interaction of cultural traditions of their representatives (Karenga 19). African folklore is a “mosaic” of various fairy tales, myths, songs, fables, riddles, and epic legends closely related to mythology and traditional African beliefs. It exists in certain genre forms in all regions of the continent.

South African folklore is characterized by the variety of forms. Nubian folklore and fairy tales of the people from South Sudan have a special originality of the genre. Numerous tales about animals are the most ancient narrative form of oral creativity of African people. Tortoises, hares, hyenas and spiders are the most frequent characters in these stories. Even in the colonial period, Zulu and Bushman fairy tales have not lost their relevance.

The epic narratives about the acts of historical and mythical characters have also become a foundation for the creation of African literature. Such historical feats are explained by the patronage of supernatural forces including the epic tales of Silamak, Pullori Fulbe and Sundyat Mandingo, and Tradition of Mvindo Nyanga. The national literature of many West African countries is closely related to the art of griots. In many African countries, the writing style of the local people has begun to form only after getting independence. In the Gambia, the Fulbe script based on the Arabic and Latin alphabets was created much earlier than in other countries.

In this case, The Epic of Sundiata describes the historical period related to life and conquest of Empire of Mali emerged near Niger Rivers. These people have been brave warriors and conquerors that have made every effort to establish its authority on neighboring lands. At the same time, The Epic of Sundiata represents a vivid conformation of the existence of special style in African literature that has certain features. Such approach provides the audience with an opportunity to consider the ideals of The Epic of Sundiata as Africa’s traditional literary value that has survived to the modern historical period (Niane, Chappell, and Jones 12). These humans continue creating unique literature works that can reflect all features of the African people.

This kind of literature includes a wide range of symbols that especially inherent in Egyptian literature where individuals have worshiped various deities. Nowadays Egyptian deities have lost their relevance (Means 42). People no longer believe in the power of these mythological creatures. However, the scientists have paid special attention to ancient Egyptian literary works and style of writing that has been marked by the use of specific hieroglyphs, info graphics and pictures that have required an in-depth analysis of the details. The loss of these ideals is dedicated to the rapid changes in the world that have forced society members to overestimate the system of their life values.

The Husia is a collection of ancient Egyptian wisdom that characterizes these people as a very wise and rapidly developing nation. This literary work has a specific structure including numbered paragraphs with separate ideas about ideals. Although the ancient Egyptian civilization no longer exists, these ideals can support modern people in their desire to become better and make bolder decisions: “I came forth from among the plants which I created and I created all things which creep and crawl and all that exists among them” (Karenga 18). This point is especially important when it comes to people’s aspiration to develop and draw wisdom from various sources. The Husia describes Egyptians who are a unique people who can be an example to follow even for the modern generation.

The literature of ancient Egypt is a book written in Egyptian from the Pharaoh period of ancient Egypt to the end of Roman rule. They have special charm by creating an atmosphere of the majesties of a vast kingdom with firm ideals and postulates that represent a foundation for the development of ideology in general (Means 45). By the period of the Early Kingdom at the end of the 4th millennium BC, hieroglyphics and the italic form of hieratic became well-established types of writing. Hieroglyphic writing has consisted of small drawings of objects. The Egyptians called the hieroglyphs “the words of God” and used them for lofty purposes to communicate through funerary texts with gods and spirits of the afterlife.

Such approach has been needed to reflect the literary nature and meaning of African ideals established in humanity’s oldest deciphered literary tradition of the Nile Valley. These people were very devout and committed to theories associated with power of all divine beings. The Husia is unique literary work about creation of the world: “I raised up beings in the primordial waters as inert things. I found no place on which to stand. I for-med it from the desire in my heart; I laid the foundation through Maat” (Karenga 5). This point has a significant impact on understandings traditions and features.

Traditions and ideals play crucial role in the life of any nation by becoming foundation for the development of people’s perception of the reality. Literary traditions of the Nile Valley have deep roots and a wide range of stories that have been described in different books. Thereby, African Literature can provide society members with an opportunity to get an idea of their national traditions and behaviors that have a significant impact on writing style by turning into vivid distinctive feature typical of people living in the Nile Valley. An in-depth analysis of this literature provides the audience with an opportunity to reassess their life values and priorities that have a significant impact on their lives. At the same time, such kind of books is needed to describe and keep traditions that have been a foundation for the creation of laws and patterns of human behavior on the African continent.

Free essay samples and research paper examples available online are plagiarized. They cannot be used as your own paper, even a part of it. You can order a high-quality custom essay on your topic from expert writers:

Get Custom Essay on Any Topic

EffectivePapers.com is a professional essay writing service committed to writing non-plagiarized custom essays, research papers, dissertations, and other assignments of top quality. All academic papers are written from scratch by highly qualified essay writers. Just proceed with your order, and we will find the best academic writer for you!

Works Cited
Buthelezi, Thabisile Makhosazana et al. “African Folklore for Critical Self-Reflection, Reflective Dialogue, and Resultant Attitudinal and Behaviour Change: University Students’ Experiences”. Southern African Journal for Folklore Studies, vol. 28, no. 1, 2018, p. 17. UNISA Press, doi:10.25159/1016-8427/4295.
Karenga. Selections from the Husia. University of Sankore Press, 1989.
Means, Sterling M. Ethiopia and the Missing Link in African History. Lushena Books, 2001.
Niane, Djibril Tamsir et al. Sundiata. Pearson Longman, 2006.