Certificación

When civilization kicked us in the face When holy water slapped our cringing brows The vultures built in the shadow of the talons The bloodstained monument of tutelage In those days

There was painful laughter on the metallic hell of the roads And the monotonous rhythms of the paternoster

Drowned the howling of the plantations Of the bitter memories of extorted kisses Of promises broken at the point of a gun Of foreigners who did not seem human

You who knows all the books but knew not love Nor our hands which fertilise the womb of the earth Hands instinct at the root with revolt

Your songs of pride in the charnet houses In spile of desolate places of African torn apart Hope lived in us like a citadel

And from Switzerland mines to the sweltering sweat of Europe‟s factories

Spring will be reborn under our bright steps David Diop‟s The Vultures – A Discussion

David Diop is thorough and picturesque in his description of European imperialists in Africa, the devastation, exploitative and inhuman effects of colonial rule is beautifully expressed in the poem. Just as the poem combines the image of Christianity and imperial domination, he damns the dual operations combinations of Christianity and imperial exploitative tendencies as deliberate Western strategy to dominate and destroy African‟s economy, and in the process get her disempowered. The unhealthy and tedious effects of imperial philosophy in all guise, be it Christianity or education is revealed in the poem, “civilization kicked us in the face”, “holy water slapped our cringing bows”. Diop is exhaustive in his description of the forceful and reluctant meeting of the African and recipient cultures, he described the West as “vultures” who has come to devour, to steal, to destroy and to kill, “blood stained tutelage”. The poem is rich in Christological imagery, as it describes Christianity as “monotonous rhythm”, deceptive, used by the West to exploit Africans. The West hide under the deceptive umbrella of Christianity to enslave Africans, to deceive the people, leaving behind “the bitter memories of extorted kisses”, “broken promises at the point of a gun”. The foreigners are inhuman, knowledgeable but destructive, David Diop condemns in strong terms Africa‟s colonial experience, its vanity, enforced labour, violence and visible murderous impacts.

SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE I

Explain your impression of breaking kola nut.

4.0 CONCLUSION

In this unit, we have argued that oral African literature is vital to the development of Western education, the Western perception of blacks and African culture, and how Africans who received Western education used it to redeem the battered image of Africa, including the fact that African has a thriving culture of oral literature long before the advent of colonialism. We have also explained some selected poems written by Africans to correct critical Western perceptions of Africa.

5.0 SUMMARY

In this unit, you have learnt that:

 oral African literature and education exists long before Western incursion into Africa

 the impression of the West about Africa is deliberate and damning

 Africans who were educated at home and abroad reacted by writing poems to correct the battered new image of Africa by the West

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

1) What is the relationship between orature and written literature?

2) Explain the efforts of African writers to justify the existence of African culture.

3) Discuss the themes in breaking cola nut as translated by Lawrence Emeka.

4) What is the impression created about the Akan speaking people of Ghana and their ancestors in Owusu?

7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING

Burton, J. F. (1965). Wit and Wisdom from West Africa – A Book of Proverbial Philosophy and Idioms. London: Heinemann.

Chidi, Amuta (1989). The Theory of African Literature. London: ZCD Books.

Enigmas, Stanley (1980). Sociology: Traditional and Radical Perspectives. Hull:

Richard and Hull.

Finnengan, Ruth (1968). Oral Literature in Africa. London: Oxford University Press.

Ogunjinmi, Bayo and Na‟Allah (1991). Introduction to African Oral Literature.

Ilorin: University of Ilorin press.

Okpewho, Isiore (1972). The Oral Performer Africa. Ibadan: Spectrum Books.

Richard, Hull (1992). Munyakare: African Civilization before the Bature.

Canada: John Wiley and Sons Inc.

Senghor, Leopold Sedar (1976). Prose and Poetry. John Reed and Clive Wake (Eds.) Nairobi: Heinemann African Writers Series.

Toure, Sekou (1974). “A Dialectical Approach to Culture” In Robert Chrisman and Nathan Hare (Eds.) Pan Africanism. New York: Bobbs-Merill.

Wiredu, Kuwasi (1995). Conceptual Decolonization in Africa Philosophy.

Ibadan: Hope Publications.

Wiredu, Kuwasi (1996). Cultural Universals and Particulars: An African Perspective. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Wiredu, Kwasi (1980). Africa: A Cross-cultural Perspective. Washington, D.C/

Brookllings/

Wredu, Kwasi (1985). “Problems in Africa‟s Self-identification in the Contemporary World” In Alwin Dieme (Ed.) Africa and Identity Problem.

London: London University Press.

Wright, Richard, Ed. (1984). African Philosophy: An Introduction. New York:

University Press of America.

UNIT 2 „INCURSION, CODE-MODIFICATIONS‟ AND TRANSITIONS IN ORAL AFRICAN LITERATURE

CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction 2.0 Objectives 3.0 Main Content

3.1.1 Modern Incursions, „Code-modifications‟ and Transitions in Oral African Literature

3.1.2 Non-culture Specific 3.1.3 „Code-modification‟

3.1.4 Naratology and Conflicting Views 3.1.5 Interpretations of Figure 5

4.0 Conclusion 5.0 Summary

6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment (TMA) 7.0 References/Further Reading

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This unit is designed to take you through another stage of oral African literature that is, though may not be common but important to advancing your knowledge of the subject matter and towards a more professional and practical orientation of your discipline. This aspect will encourage you not to approach your subject cold but with a high degree of enthusiasm considering the interesting nature of the format that will force your awareness of the often ignored or unnoticed in oral African literature. Our instances that we have used are what you are familiar with and within your familiar terrain of oral creativity.

In this unit, you have been taught that the oral narrative of similar story is capable of shifting, multiple application even if it originates from similar ethnic culture as seen in the various Yoruba versions of how the Tortoise became bald.

The figure 5 reveals that Western cultures (i.e. English Language) do not have provision for words translated from oral African source to the English Language as such words lost their aesthetics in transit. These and others are the novel ideas expressed in our present unit.

Another vital way to develop ones skill and understanding of oral African literature is to be aware of certain uncommon or often ignored but important aspect of oral African literature. The practise of oral African literature is meant to put to the test and practise the minute or what appeared insignificant but unavoidable in the overall performance of oral African literature. We have incorporated the aspect so as to strengthen the aesthetics of this unit. Below are some of the objectives of this unit.

2.0 OBJECTIVES

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

 apply all what you have to learnt in your volume to the practical expression of oral African literature

 admit the ever presence of incursions in oral African literature

 explain the concept of „code-modification‟ in oral African literature

 identity „code-modification‟ in the oral poetry of your people

 discuss „code-modification‟ in the oral prose or narrative of your community

 provide a table of „code-modification‟ using an aspect of the oral literature of your people

3.1.1 Modern Incursions „Code-modifications‟ and Transitions in Oral