African Literature

African Literature
The first African Literature appeared from the 2300 to the 2100 BC. This literature is generally divided in two, the North Africa (NAf) and the Sub-Saharan African (SSAf). The first appearance of a North Africa Literature is in a papyrus as burial texts and the first written is "Memphite Declaration of Deities". The Sub-Saharan African was more like an oral culture that had epic narratives, proverbs, riddles, songs and rituals, and more. These two were separated mainly as half of Africa, NAf belongs from the Saharan desert to the top and SSAf belongs from the Saharan desert to below. NAf had a lot of influence from the Arabs and the Islamic, well they were beside them, but SSAf had more influence from the Europeans because of the colonization they made. This colonization was hard for them because Europeans tried to change everything around them; first their beliefs, ethics and traditions with Christians manners. Then the intent to destroy the pagan and the primitive culture, but they used them as slaves (in 1789 "Gustaba Vassa" was published, a slave narrative). Finally they implement the education and developed the cultures and civilizations. Things were changing already and for the 20´s and 30´s the Negro Movement started in Paris. These people were Africans that spoke French and tried to get back to their identity with their original roots. Nowadays some important people that are known by their books or novels in the African culture are Alan Paton, Fraz Fanon,Camara Laye, Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka that was the first female with a published writing and won a Nobel Prize in Literature.

Holtz, E, (2013), African Literature, Mexico City.

Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe
One of the greatest authors is about to be presented. This is a respectable man that deserves all the best for he and his family. Chinua Achebe is a 82 year old man born in November 16th. Actually, he is a teacher, but he has been a radio worker and has published several books; such as novels, short stories, essays, articles, etc. His academic life is very interesting; he graduated from University College in Nigeria, where he was raised too. In 1966, he ended his career as Director of External Broadcasting in Nigeria during the Biafran War. Achebe tough from 1972 to 1976 and from 1987 to 1988 at Amherst at the University of Massachusetts and then at Storrs in the University of Connecticut for one year. His first novel was named "Things Fall Apart" and may I say it is considered a great book; it has been translated to more than 45 languages and has a big number in selling. He published a volume of poetry with the name of "Christmas in Biafra" and won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. Other great pieces of art are "No Longer At Ease", "Arrow of God", "Anthills of the Savannah" and "A Man of the People". He has won others prizes and has been named in several honored things. But how I have always said, the most interesting of a person is his personal life and not the professional. Achebe has one wife and both live in New York, and they have 4 children. His father was Isaiah Okafo Achebe and his mother was Janet Anaenechi Iloegbunam, both practiced the Christians Evangelist traditions and raised their children with that religion.

Achebe, C. (1959), Things fall apart, Anchor Books,New York.

Biography of Chinua Achebe (1930-), (1999). Available at: http://www.gradesaver.com/author/chinua-achebe/ [Accessed: Jan 12, 2013].

World Literature

The importance of literature in education and development.

Hello! My name is Shamir Troconis and I have a different criteria from you and everybody. So I want to share what I think of World Literature and its importance.

Literature is as wide as the world´s nature and mysteries and maybe we will never understand it, or at minimum not all. Literature is important for education and development. In fact for development we need education and for education we need development. Is a circle that never ends but with the help of books and written and oral ideas, both will have a big improvement. For someone to be intelligent or to have knowledge about something, the best way is to read a book or search for something that has been written, in few words literature will always help us in a secure way. Every culture, religion, society, country has a different history and different beliefs. For its people everyone has to know how to behave and to manage him or herself, but this is with education, and the main base of education comes from Literature. We know that Literature can be a Holy Book or a scientific idea or a novel. Each of this will give us a different kind of education, a Holy Book will tell us how to behave towards deities and will tell us what is good and what isn´t, in few words it will educate us in a moral way or tell us how to live. A scientific idea or book will tell us all about the world mysteries and will teach us how to deal with real life in a logical way and will ample our criteria of the creation of the world. A novel or a short story will make our imagination grow and believe me, imagination is what make the human stay alive.