Bulman, Stephen P. D.; Vydrin, Valentin. The epic of Sumanguru Kante, narrated by Abdulaye Sako. [African Sources for African History, Vol. 15.] Leiden — Boston: Brill, 2017. (Note on the transcriptio; Text and translation.) (original) (raw)

This study attempts to compare two main literary works. One is Niane's Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. Another is Kunene's Emperor Shaka the Great, a Zulu Epic. The study aims at showing how Literature mirrors society through a comparison between the protagonists in the above mentioned epics basing on their heroic characteristics each. This is a qualitative study and is basically concerned with a particular aspect of narrative which is the central character in epic literary genres. The main aim is to depict the image of human being in the world around him through M. Kunene's Emperor Shaka the Great, A Zulu Epic J. T. Niane's Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. The study is framed on Campbell's Theory of The Hero's journey mainly because it involved the quest theme. The researcher looks at the relevance of the epic genres in African society, as well as how literature is a didactic tool at historical, ethical and socio-cultural levels. It has been found that epic literature conveys the message of heroism, patriotism or strong attachment to motherland connected with human's destiny which cannot be altered by human power.

'The Sunjata epic, which celebrates the founder of the thirteenth-century Mali empire, is the most famous African epic. The essays in this watershed volume examine Sunjata from a variety of perspectives.'

Oral sources such as proverbs, songs and folktales have been used to reconstruct people’s identities. As a primary ‘means of communication’ music is often used to capture or record peoples’ experiences in history. In Zimbabwe, Simon Chimbetu exemplifies one musician who is in search of his country’s past in as far as he uses his music to record the history of the liberation struggle. This paper provides an in-depth examination of Chimbetu’s selected songs. Singing after the war itself is over, it is argued, the music functions as a reference point to the citizens because it is a transcript of their past experiences something which is essential to the present and future generations. By insisting on educating his audiences on the liberation struggle, Chimbetu satisfies Sankofan approach. It is argued in this paper that Chimbetu’s musical reflections provide enriching experiences and reveals that it is historical music.

Oral sources such as proverbs, songs and folktales have been used to reconstruct people’s identities. As a primary ‘means of communication’ music is often used to capture or record peoples’ experiences in history. In Zimbabwe, Simon Chimbetu exemplifies one musician who is in search of his country’s past in as far as he uses his music to record the history of the liberation struggle. This paper provides an in-depth examination of Chimbetu’s selected songs. Singing after the war itself is over, it is argued, the music functions as a reference point to the citizens because it is a transcript of their past experiences something which is essential to the present and future generations. By insisting on educating his audiences on the liberation struggle, Chimbetu satisfies Sankofan approach. It is argued in this paper that Chimbetu’s musical reflections provide enriching experiences and reveals that it is historical music.

In Tasks and Masks Lewis Nkosi identifies the two main categories under which African poets of the first generation fall.First, we have the poets that are influenced by the modernist movement with Christopher Okigbo, Wole Soyinka and John P. Clark as the leading lights. Then there are those poets who, though still modern, haveleaned more toward recovering the idiom of African oral poetry as represented by Kofi Awoonor, Mazisi Kunene, OkotP’Bitek, just to mention a few. A cursory look at contemporary African poetry reveals that, although the two models of composing poetry have existed on the continent for almost the same length of time, most of the poets have, to varying degrees, fallen under the influence of oral tradition models of composing poetry. The oral tradition trend is characterised by an array of salient features held and celebrated in common: the use of local imagery and idioms, use of simple and reasonably direct language and influence from the traditional techniques of ...