Literature
The concept of African literature by Africans include both written and oral literature. In the minds of Africans form and content are inseparable from each other. The beauty of presentation is used not only for its own sake, but for a more effective dialogue with the listener, and the beauty is determined by the degree of truthfulness of the above.
Oral Literature in Africa exists as a poetic form, and in the form of prose. Poetry, often in song form, includes a poem epics, ritual, praise songs, love songs and other Prose - often stories about the past, the myths and legends, often with the trickster as a central character. Epic of Sundiata Keita, founder of the ancient state of Mali - an important example of oral literature pre-colonial period.
The first written literature of North Africa recorded in Egyptian papyri, as written and in Greek, Latin and Phoenician languages (sources in Phoenician There is very little). In Latin writing Apuleius and St. Augustine. Style Ibn Khaldun, a philosopher from Tunisia stands out among the Arabic literature of the period.
During the colonial period, African literature primarily focused on issues of slavery. The first English-language product is a novel by Joseph Casely-Efrahima Heyforda "Free Ethiopia: essays on racial emancipation, which was published in 1911. Although the novel and balanced between fiction and political propaganda, he received positive feedback in the Western media.
Theme of freedom and independence are increasingly raised before the end of the colonial period. After gaining a majority of countries the independence of African literature has made a giant leap. There was a lot of writers whose works are widely recognized. The works were written as the European languages (mainly French, English and Portuguese), and in the autochthonous languages of Africa. The main themes of the works of post-colonial period were conflicts: conflicts between past and present, tradition and modernity, socialism and capitalism, the individual and society, korennnymi peoples and newcomers. Also widely publicized social problems like corruption, economic difficulties of countries with newfound independence, rights and roles in the new society. Female writer is now much more widely represented than in the colonial period.
The first African writers post-colonial period, received the Nobel Prize for literature, Wole Soyinka became (1986). Prior to that, only Albert Camus, born in Algeria, was awarded the Prize in 1957.
Since 1980 Noma Award is awarded for outstanding literary works.