Universität Wien

143356 KU Afriphone Literatures: From Oral to Written Texts in African Languages (2024W)

Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 20 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 08.10. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 15.10. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 22.10. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 29.10. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 05.11. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 19.11. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 26.11. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 03.12. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 10.12. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 17.12. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 07.01. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 14.01. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 21.01. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10
  • Tuesday 28.01. 09:00 - 11:00 Inst. f. Afrikawissenschaften, Seminarraum 4 UniCampus Hof 5 2M-O1-10

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In this seminar course, we trace the gradual re-orientation of African literature from the dominant 20th Century Europhone African literatures in formal curricula to a fast establishing 21st Century movement towards emphasis on Afriphone African literatures, i.e., spoken, sung, and written texts in African languages. We will analyze indigenous oral narrative genres like folktales, myths, legends, proverbs, praise songs, dirges, and lullabies across various African languages before outlining the emerging written texts of new Afriphone novelists, poets, and playwrights in various parts of Africa.

This course aims:
1. To enable students to reflect on the parametres for the definition of ‘literature’, in general, and ‘African literature’, in particular
2. To get students to think of the diglossia/multiligual situations in Africa with respect to literature
3. To enable students to be able to discuss intellectually the literary/cultural production scenario with respect to variables such as access to population groups including class, gender and social/educational status

Class interaction will be in the form of lectures.

No previous study on Africa is required.

Students who graduate from this course are prepared to pursue more advanced discussions on African literatures and the question of language in literary expressions.

Assessment and permitted materials

Active participation during all class sessions will be the key. The course will be assessed as follows:
o Written final exam (or essay if there are COVID restrictions): 100%

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

No previous knowledge on the study of Africa is required.

Examination topics

The following typical examination topics from past offerings of the course:

University of Vienna
Department of African Studies
African Languages and Literatures Section
January 29, 2015

Course no 140251 Afriphone Literatures: From Oral to Written Texts in African Languages

Lecture XX: Final Written Examination 2.10pm to 3pm

Answer only one of the following three questions:

1. What are the main sources and origins of African oral performances? Illustrate this with the pyramidal organization of the African universe.

2. Documenting indigenous cultures, such as African oral literatures, is considered an important aspect of heritage preservation in the 21st Century. Discuss this statement with reference to your study of the spoken and sung texts of the Dagaaba of West Africa.

3. In what ways can libation pouring be considered a genre of African oral literature?

Good luck!

University of Vienna
Department of African Studies
African Languages and Literatures Section
March, 2015

Course no 140251 Afriphone Literatures: From Oral to Written Texts in African Languages

Answer only one of the following three questions:

1. African oral literary performances are very much inspired by the pyramidal organization of the African universe with the Supreme God at the top? Outline this pyramidal organization and illustrate how it inspires oral literture.

2. Documenting indigenous cultures, such as African oral literatures, is considered an important aspect of heritage preservation in the 21st Century. How does your study of the spoken and sung texts of the Dagaaba of West Africa help you appreciate this key issue in African literature?

3. In what ways can libation pouring be considered a genre of African oral literature?

Good luck!

Reading list

o Mark Ali and Adams Bodomo. 2021. Dagaare Folktales in Parallel Texts. LIT Verlag.

o Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization, 1991. Proceedings of the International Symposium on African Literatures. Lagos, Nigeria.

o Debate exchanges between Chinua Achebe and Ngugi Wa Thiong’o
http://abagond.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/ngugi-wa-thiongo-the-language-of-african-literature/

o BBC video interview with Ngugi Wa Thiong’o
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-23367692

o Do not put African writers in a box:
http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/The%20World%20Today/2013/OctNov/WT0513WaNgugi.pdf

o Bayo Ogunjimi and Abdul-Rasheed Na'Allah. 2005. Introduction to African Oral Literature and Performance. Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press

o Bodomo, A. B.and Manolete Mora. 2007. Documenting spoken and sung texts of the Dagaaba of West Africa. Empirical Musicology Review, 2(3): 81-102. https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/28815/EMR000028a.pdf;jsessionid=45625CEB56E4269071A4D08E896419CD?sequence=37

o Bodomo, A. B. 2017. Parallel text: a theoretical and methodological strategy for promoting African language literature in the twenty first century. In: Translation: A Transdisciplinary Journal, Issue 6, September 2017, p. 36-52.

o Senayon Olaoluwa: “The Being That Animates All Things”: Cannibalization, Simulation, and the Animation of Oral Performance in Ngugi's Wizard of the Crow. Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, 55/4 , 2014, pp. 389-405.

Association in the course directory

SAL.KU
SAL.T1
SAL.T2
SAS.GR
SAL.GR

Last modified: Mo 19.08.2024 20:25