African literature

OBJECTIVES: Learn the rich cultural heritage and literature of Africa.

Appreciate learning the cultural heritage of Africa as an important tool for understanding its literature.
Africa is ‘the birthplace of humanity’.
AFRICA is the world’s second largest continent after Asia.
Africa is the oldest and most enduring landmass in the world.
The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the North, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the
Sinai Peninsula to the Northeast, Indian Ocean to the Southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the West.
It has 55 fully recognized sovereign states, 9 territories and two de facto independent states with limited or no
recognition.
The historian Leo Africanus (1495-1554) attributed the origin of “Africa” to the Greek word aprikē or aphrike. Phrike
means cold and horror, when combined with the negating prefix a-, it means a land free of cold and horror.
The Latin suffix “-ica” can sometimes be used to denote a land.
Egypt was considered part of Asia by the ancients, and first assigned to Africa by the geographer Ptolemy (85 - 165
AD), who accepted Alexandria as Prime Meridian and made the isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea the boundary
between Asia and Africa. As Europeans came to understand the real extent of the continent, the idea of Africa
expanded with their knowledge.
Africa is a continent, not a country so it does not have its own flag.
African union is a continental union consisting of all 55 countries on the continent of Africa.
A flag is more than just a symbol. It is a source of pride of the citizens of a country that contribute to a sense of
identity and belonging.
The color green was chosen to represent the hope and belief in a bright future for the African continent and its people
since it is traditionally associated with agricultural prosperity, Africa’s backbone.
The map of the African continent rests on the sun’s rays which are in white showing Africa’s commitment to be part
of the world and forge lasting friendships and peace with all the nations of the world.
A ring of golden stars circles the map to represent the member countries. The stars are in gold stands for each
country’s wealth and prosperous future.
THE PEOPLE OF AFRICA
There is great diversity in Africa, and there are many different native people groups. Many of these people groups
have their own languages, and there are well over a thousand languages recognized on the African continent. Because
of this, the African continent has the highest level of multilingualism in the world.
ECONOMY OF AFRICA – as a whole Africa is a very poor continent. HIV/AIDS and malaria are two of the most deadly
diseases, and they have ravaged many African countries, leaving orphans and extreme poverty in their wake. In
addition, many governments are corrupt, and foreign aid money sent to various projects may not end up where it was
designated.

Who discovered Africa first?

Portuguese explorer Prince Henry, known as the Navigator, was the first European to methodically explore Africa and
the oceanic route to the Indies.
It has 55 fully recognized sovereign states, 9 territories and two de facto independent states with limited or no
recognition.