RP-Department of Literature

Permanent URI for this collection

https://repository.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1393

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 84

A Sociolinguistic Account of Language Loyalty among Kamba Speakers in Yatta Sub-County, Machakos County
(Kenyatta University, 2025-11) Musyoki Carolyne Mueni
This sociolinguistic study examined language loyalty among speakers of an indigenous language in Kenya. The study dealt with the preservation of the Kikamba language and culture among Kikamba speakers in Yatta sub-county, a rural area in Machakos County. The objectives of the study were to identify the language use patterns among the Kikamba speakers in different domains in Yatta sub-county, establish the effect of age on Kikamba language usage across different domains in Yatta sub-county, and lastly to determine the perceptions and attitudes of Kikamba speakers in Yatta Sub-County, Machakos County, toward their mother tongue. The study was grounded in two theoretical frameworks: Ethnolinguistic Vitality Theory and Domain Theory. The research design consisted of mixed methods, since the questions raised by the research required the use of both qualitative and quantitative data. At first, the semi-structured interviews were implemented to research emotions and viewpoints among the participants, which then led to the use of structured questionnaires for recording the patterns of language use across the different domains. Furthermore, participant observations were conducted parallelly to provide the researchers with scattered insights into the world of everyday language practices. The research considered the language practices not only of the younger Kikamba speakers (those aged 18 to 25 years) but also of the older Kikamba speakers (those above 50 years old) in order to give a complete picture of how the language lives among the Kikamba speakers in Yatta and to provide an idea of the language loyalty in the region. The language use patterns of the respondents, as per the research, revealed that Kikamba is the first language in family interactions which again signals its great use in domestic communication. Nevertheless, apart from the younger speakers, who were quite a few, all the others had already made the switch to Kiswahili in home. This in turn, pointed to the fact that Kiswahili has already gotten quite a strong hold increasing its sphere from educational institutions and media to the whole societal interaction area. Besides, the study found that age is a determining factor with regard to the language use patterns among the various domains. While the older respondents mostly used Kikamba, especially during family and community contacts, it still is a strong sign of cultural attachment and language continuity. On the other hand, the younger participants showed a stronger tendency to use Kiswahili and English, particularly in educational, social, and professional contexts, while keeping Kikamba for home use. Still, this pattern does not imply that the younger speakers have a negative view of Kikamba. Instead, their ongoing use of the language in family settings indicates a deep cultural bond and an acknowledgment of its role in identity and heritage preservation. These results demonstrate the variety of language use in different contexts, the influence of age on communication habits, and the gradual shift of linguistic identity within the community.
African Literature in a Structural and Linguistic Jail: Acknowledging, Apprehending and Advocating for Prison Break
(International Journal of Humanities & Social Science, 2012-11) Mugubi, J.
The author describes how works by some African writers that entail literary experimentation have not been seen as serious literature. He mentions how the society have refused to grow and still believe in three Eurocentric main genres, namely Poetry, Drama and Prose Fiction. Famous African literary works are cited which include "Showhat and Sowhat," "Lwanda Magere" and "Return to My Native Land."
Afrofuturism and Quest for Black Redemption in Nnedi Okorafor’s The Book of Phoenix
(2022) Sum, Robert Kipkoech; Makokha, Justus Kizito Siboe; Ndege, Speranza
Nnedi Okorafor’s TheBook of Phoenix follows the trajectory of many Afrofuturist texts in the exploration of the Black fortunes in the contested futuristic space. Using science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction, Okorafor appropriate futuristic space as a locale for negotiating the redemption of black bodies. She also contextualises the experiences of Africans or people of African origin in known world history. This, apparently, show that the futuristic space is neither detached from the past nor the contemporary periodbut rather it is an opportunity to map an optimistic future through a keen reappraisal of history from an Afrocentric perspective. This article uses a close reading of Nnedi Okorafor’s novel The Book of Phoenix to examine how prosthetically enhanced future is appropriated to re-enact the black struggle for redemption and relevance in the face of ruthless oppression through exploitation, dehumanisation, and slavery. The analysis is also guided by postulations of some prominent Afrofuturists like Mark Dery and Ytasha L. Womack. Data has been analysed using content and thematic analysis. This article finds that Afrofuturism can indeed portend optimism for black people in the sense that it utilises futuristic space to reconstruct the past and contemporary tribulations facing the black people in order to implement an ultimate solution and initiate the process of redemption. It can thus be concluded that The Book of Phoenix indeed lives up to Afrofuturist and Afro-optimist spirit by not only illuminating black challenges but also highlighting positive aspects of blackness like strength, resilience, humanity, and longevity. This article could benefit scholars in the field of postcolonial and diasporic studies by exposing the complex and dynamic nature of race, exploitation, and technology. It benefits the African/ Afro-diasporic literary studies as Afrofuturism is creating an impact in the domain of sci-fi which has traditionally been dominated by the West
Analysis of Phonological Errors Made by Grade 4 Learners with Communication Difficulties in Kieni East Sub-County
(KCRD, 2023) Waruru, Joyce Wamuyu; Nyamasyo, Eunice Auma
Inclusive education in Kenyan primary schools brings together learners with special needs and their peers without special needs in the mainstream classroom. Some learners in inclusive classrooms have challenges that hinder the acquisition of literacy skills. Official instruction in ESL in primary schools begins in Grade 4. Learners who fail to acquire basic language skills in Grade 4 will struggle to master ESL in the upper classes. Against this backdrop, this study set out to analyze the phonological errors made by Grade 4 learners of ESL in Kieni East Sub-County. The study adopted a descriptive research design. Seven primary schools in Kieni-East were randomly sampled, and 11 students with communication difficulties purposively sampled for data collection. The 11 learners were observed during an ESL listening and speaking lesson. The researcher turned Sony ICD-UX570 Digital Voice Recorder on and left it on the learner’s desk for a 35-minute lesson. The study identified twenty-seven (27) words with phonological errors. The phonological errors were categorized into five classes such as cluster reduction (22%) followed by reduplication (19%), distortion (15%), deletion (15%), stopping (11%), backing (11%) and gliding (7%), respectively. The audiorecorded data was transcribed, and the correct forms provided in a table. Data was analyzed qualitatively using Error Analysis and Natural Phonology Theory to describe the phonological errors. The study found that Grade 4 learners with communication difficulties make phonological errors due to word complexities, biological disorders, and poor cognitive development. Further, the study established that inclusive schools do not have adequate assistive resources to instruct learners with communication difficulties. This study recommends that teachers should partner with speech therapists and language researchers to assist learners with communication needs. Further, EARC should equip all inclusive classrooms with assistive resources to address the needs of learners with communication needs.
Anatomy of Contemporary Storytelling: Performing National Culture in Kenya
(International Journal of Law, Humanities & Social Science, 2018-10) Gaita, Murimi
Throughout time, performance has been the domain of celebrating the process of being and becoming by rejecting, affirming and consolidating identities and cultures. This article argues that contemporary storytelling performances in Kenya can be viewed as a site for the construction of national culture and identity. Postcolonial theory, used in this article, engages dominant discourses in its endeavour to give credible representation to the colonial subject within situations of unequal power relations. Moreover, the theory’s critique of Western pretensions of the universality of knowledge which results in recovery of submerged knowledge systems from the margins enables the article to revive such concepts such as ‘national culture’. Consequently, this exploration attempts to examine how culture is created when opportunities for its deliberate construction avail themselves through the performance of contemporary storytelling. Logically, in constructing national culture, contemporary storytelling negotiates postcolonial interventions in the search for coherence, stability and control of this mode of expression and communication. This is observable in the innovative communicative strategies of storytelling in terms of management, organization, production and performance. The findings arise from fieldwork research conducted in Kenya between 2004 and 2007 which sampled performance of contemporary oral storytelling in commercial, corporate and educational institutions (the chief performers are the youth) with a view to determining how national culture is created, negotiated and perpetuated.
Beautiful Dreams: Deconstructing Discourses of Redemption in Darko’s Beyond the Horizon (1995), Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street (2009), Adichie’s Americanah (2013) And Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers (2016)
(Royallite Global, 2022) Makokha, Gloria Ajami; Muhia, Mugo; Obura, Oluoch
This paper entails an analysis of how in their different particularities, Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon, Chika Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street; Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah and Imbolo Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers explore the underbelly of notions informing the discourse of a redemptive West for Africans located at the margins of globalisation. The analysis locates Chimamanda’s Americanah and Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers within the racialised polity in the USA, in the midst of either a global economic meltdown or individual inability to access the fruits of globalisation because of the fact of race or immigration status. It also explores how choicelessness in the job market in Europe informs the radical choice of persisting at the social and economic margins of Europe despite the harsh realities and outcomes in this choice. This paper demonstrates that the questions of place at particular moments in history force a revision of initial fantasy about the notions of the redemptive West. This textual analysis is informed by the postcolonial theory, as articulated by Robert Nichols and Homi Bhabha and their postulations on identity, ‘othering’ and ‘in-between spaces’.
Brave new world – a reading of the unbroken spirit and the verdict of death
(2015)
This is a stylistic analysis of two novels published in Africa in the twenty-first century. Fifty years ago, when the publishing apparatus was controlled by the European colonial regime, an African writer not only had to have the creative genius, but also the capacity to communicate the intended message in a language other than one’s own. Hundreds of fictional works are now published in every major African capital in a variety of languages annually. The contemporary African literary scene includes writers born in the 1980s and 1990s. These emerging writers had no direct personal contact with colonisation. Since literature is a mirror of society, the realities contemporary African writers depict in their writing cannot be the same as the ones depicted in African literature fifty years ago. The core of this paper is an analysis of two texts produced by Africans in the twenty-first century: Wanjiru Waithaka’s The Unbroken Spirit and Onduko bw’Atebe’s The Verdict of Death. References are made to earlier works of African literature for comparison purposes. The said analysis of the two texts was carried out against the background of existing definitions of African Literature and the pre-eminent postcolonial theory of literary criticism
Changing Trends in Bedtime Story Reading Habits of Children: A Comparative Study of African and European Children’s Literature
(Royallite Global, 2020) Duhoe, Alberta Aseye Ama; Adansi, Joana Emefa
Children are often inspired by tales, rhymes and songs of various kinds globally. Mostly, children in developed countries are exposed to cartoons online and puzzles that tell stories. Before the emergence of modern technology in Africa, parents and teachers spent time with children under ten years telling them stories that were so inspiring and motivating. Children used those moments to build on their vocabularies and also learn great deal of lessons from such stories. Today, technological advancement has influenced the moments that children share with their teachers and parents in listening to stories. Hard copies of bedtime stories with attractive pictorial presentations on some events in the content and on the cover gradually replaced the traditional way of sending these stories across to children. The study adopted a desktop literature review method (desk study). This study further used a humanistic approach to textual analysis while researching and writing this essay, compared to a behavioral approach, which would involve evaluating the bedtime story reading habits of children with the influence of changing trends in technology. The drawing and interpretation of observations and sense which is not a quantitative impact evaluation, was important in this context.
Characterization and Presentation of Capitalist Environmental Destruction: A Critical Reading of Austin Bukenya’s A Hole in the Sky (2013) and Okiya Omtatah’s Voice of the People (2007)
(EANSO, 2023-12) Edwin, Kiplangat; Chetambe, Mark; Mugo, Muhia
This paper investigates how playwrights employ characterization to illuminate acts of capitalist environmental destruction in Austin Bukenya’s A Hole in the Sky (2013) and Okiya Omtatah’s Voice of the People (2007). The central idea is to examine the presentation of environmental destruction and the critical responses as dramatized through character articulation. The paper is premised on Ecofeminist and Eco-Marxist theoretical frameworks. The proponents of Ecofeminist theory are Karen J. Warren, Vandana Shiva, Greta Gaard, Carolyn Merchant and Ynestra King, whereas those of the Eco-Marxist framework are John Bellamy Foster, Herbert Marcuse and Paul Burkett. Ecofeminists argue that there is a close interrelation between women and nature. The theorization is that there is an interconnection between women and nature, particularly regarding their nurturing abilities, exploitation, and liberation. The paper contends that the twin-exploitation aspect of ecofeminism portrays acts of domination wrought by patriarchy and capitalism. Eco-Marxists expound on the exploitation aspect by linking ecological destruction to unbridled capitalism. The article uses qualitative methodology whereby the plays were purposively sampled and thematic analysis was done to examine the articulation of characters in depicting environmental destruction. The study establishes that playwrights have appropriately used their characters to illuminate environmental degradation. The depiction of characters as either conservationists or agents and orchestrators of environmental destruction help
Characters' Reaction to Torments in Coetzee’s Selected Novels
(African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 2025-10) Chebet, Carolyne; Mugo, Wanjiru; Mutie, Stephen; Rutere, Albert Mugambi
This study aimed to demonstrate how selected literary texts by John Maxwell Coetzee portray how the characters react to torments surrounding the narration of social life and cultural order to embody and evoke characters’ cultural intricacies and anxieties. The study sought to explore the hidden tensions of the characters fighting within the self. The study also tried to examine how the characters are able or unable to deal with the trauma caused by the contemporary issues of violence, sexuality, and psychological distress. The texts, namely, Disgrace (1999), Slow Man (2005), and Waiting for Barbarians (1980), were purposefully chosen because of their suitability in data that exposes the characters’ torments. The most appropriate theoretical framework that allowed the selected texts to be read, interrogated, analysed, and interpreted, located within the lenses of Psychoanalytic Literary Theory and Concepts related to trauma by Sigmund Freud and Pallavi Sugoy. These theories allowed the analysis of all the important aspects of characters’ psyches, their psychological trauma, thematic concerns, and textual ideologies. The study was not necessarily focusing on trauma per se, but it sufficed to examine the concept of trauma briefly when analysing the characters in the selected texts. The qualitative research method was employed to explore how the characters react to torments in Coetzee’s selected texts. The study employed purposive sampling to select primary texts that vividly depict the specific torments of interest. Consequently, Coetzee’s works - Disgrace, Waiting for the Barbarians, and Slow Man - were chosen for their depth in illustrating these themes. An analytical research design was utilised to examine these literary texts, along with any supplementary secondary data that would facilitate a qualitative analysis of the material. The study aimed to offer insights that would enrich the discourse in the literary realm, particularly concerning the interplay of power dynamics, cultural conflict, and the quest for personal redemption. Since the characters’ experiences are based on the behaviour and incidents of real people, suffering from psychological, dysfunctional sexuality issues and identity, the study can be used in mental institutions to help patients with such problems.
The Commodification of the Female Body in the Akamba Pop Music
(EAST AFRICAN NATURE & SCIENCE ORGANIZATION, 2022-10) Kiio, Emmanuel Mutiso; Muhia, Mugo; Mutie, Stephen
This paper interrogates the objectified and commodified images of women constructed in the Akamba pop songs, especially those selected for this study. It analyses how these construed femininities offer a gender imbalance between men and women. From this standpoint, the paper discusses the various representations of gender and the significance attached to the gendered implication. The paper interrogates the images of women and their underlying meanings. The key goal is to examine how pop artists use imagery as a linguistic resource to foreground representations of gender while using the female body as the point of reference. Guiding the discussion is Luce Irigaray’s postulation on the male gaze and how it psychologically oppresses women using language. The article uses qualitative methodology whereby Ten Akamba pop songs are purposively sampled and sourced from YouTube. Sampled songs were transcribed, translated, and analysed for language use. The songs were interpreted using intersectionality and Luce Irigaray's postulation on gendered language. The paper's premise is to map out areas of women's marginalisation in Akamba pop songs. The article, therefore, examines how gendered inscription delineates women as sexual objects and commodities of male power.
Compliance with Ethical Standards by Civil Servants and the Effectiveness of Public Services in the Context of the Government of Bomet County (Kenya)
(EANSO, 2026-01) Chepkoech, Helen; Minja, David
The challenges associated with ethical lapses in public service delivery are increasingly becoming evident in Kenya and globally. The enforcement of ethical standards within public service is, therefore, a critical issue that significantly impacts the effectiveness and efficiency of government operations and service delivery. Ethical breaches not only undermine public trust but also hinder the overall development and well-being of a country. This study aimed to determine the effect of the enforcement of ethical standards on public service delivery by Bomet County Government in Kenya. The study objectives were to examine the effects of compliance with laws, regular monitoring of employees, and the implementation of ethics training programs on public service delivery in Bomet County, Kenya. Institutional Theory and Agency Theory guided the research. A descriptive research design was adopted. The research targeted 165 employees. The research used a statistical technique to determine the sample size of 120 respondents. A stratified sampling technique was used to pick the study respondents. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilised to analyse the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. The findings revealed that compliance with laws, regular monitoring and implementation of ethics training programs among employees had a positive and statistically significant effect on public service delivery as indicated by a p-value of 0.002, 0.002 and 0.004, respectively. The study concluded that compliance with laws promotes transparency and accountability among employees. Regular monitoring of employees enhances adherence to standards and prompt correction of deviation, while implementation of ethics training programs positively influences service quality by fostering ethical behaviour and professionalism among staff. The study recommended that the government should strengthen and enforce national-level ethical frameworks and codes of conduct across all public institutions. This includes harmonising anti-corruption policies, establishing a centralised ethical oversight unit, and conducting regular monitoring and audits to ensure adherence to public service values.
The Construction of Feminine Psychology in Swahili Women’s Nuptial Poetry-Unyago
(Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2017) Mwai, Wangari; Mwenje, Margaret; M’Raiji, John Kirimi
This article examines the construction of feminine psychology in Swahili women nuptial poetry-unyago. Unyago poetry is composed and performed by Swahili women. Swahili is a community located along the coastal region of Kenya. This article, therefore, focuses on intersections between psychology and poetry in analyzing and describing how unyago poetry reveals the mindsets and emotions of Swahili women. Data for analysis in article is derived from research carried out among women of Swahili decent living at Kisumu using observation and in-depth interviews as data collection methods. Unyago poetry is viewed as confessions and revelations of the female self, the marriage institution and that of the marital partner. Worth noting is the fact that the women, whose ancestors originated from the coastal region of Kenya, have preserved the nuptial rituals and teachings therein across time and space. Through unyago, the women socialize their girls from children to women and is a deeply rooted practice in their philosophy, psychology, and culture of the Swahili people. Thus, this article contends that unyago is both a reflection of group and individual psychological reactions to cultural expression through poetry
Contesting the Subaltern Narrative: The Trickster Trope in the Kenyan Political Autobiography
(Taylor & Francis, 2021-03-21) Mutie, Stephen
This article is a critique of the idea of subalternity1 as it is used in the Kenyan political autobiographies of leaders who have reigned but never ruled.2 The study is largely located within postcolonial theory, with particular emphasis on the strand that interrogates the interest that inhabits the production of knowledges about the self. The biographical method was used to analyse Jaramogi Odinga’s Not Yet Uhuru, Bildad Kaggia’s The Roots of Freedom, Raila Odinga’s The Flame of Freedom and Joseph Murumbi’s The Path Not Taken. Interrogating the dangers of a single story, the paper argues that the Kenyan political autobiography is heavily loaded with rhetorical performances determined by the need to tell an effective story. Using trickery, and hiding behind the hackneyed utopian concept of speaking truth to power, the leaders examined here project selves that are fearless, bold and revolutionaries aiming to forcefully and strategically mythologise themselves. This process is made possible in the contexts of historical (re)writing. Thus, Jaramogi, Kaggia, Raila and Murumbi’s portrayal of themselves as victims and subalterns in their autobiographies are for disguise, deception, and indirection while maintaining an outward impression, in power-laden situations, of willing, even enthusiastic consen
Conversational Implicature on Selected Episodes of Jklive Talk Show on Citizen Television, Kenya
(The International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), 2024-09) Opiyo, Margaret Anyango; Mwai, Loise Wamaitha
The study involved an analysis of Conversational Implicature on sampled episodes of the JKLive talk show of Citizen TV in Kenya. The research objective was to determine the observance of cooperative principle maxims on selected episodes of the JKLive talk show. The study used a descriptive research design in which judgmental sampling was employed in selecting the episodes in the talk show that were more relevant to the study. A sample size of two episodes which had a runtime of one hour each, were used for conversational data and then subjected to analysis. Data was collected through audio and video recording based on naturalistic observation of the talk show. The data was then transcribed orthographically to identify the language features required for the study. Data analysis was guided by the theory of Conversational Implicature by Grice (1975), which he termed as an indirect speech whereby, what is meant by an utterance may go beyond what is communicated. As a theory, Conversational Implicature advocates that, in order to simplify the use of language, rules are needed to govern how we bring out information and at what stage, for effective communication to occur. This theory was used to account for observance or violation of cooperative principle maxims, in line with the objective of the study. Prevalence of violations of cooperative principle maxims were observed, particularly instances of quality, quantity, manner and relevance maxims being disregarded in political discourse, and instances of quantity and relevance maxims also being disregarded in economic discourse. Addressing violations of these maxims can improve clarity and coherence, with the host playing a crucial role in moderating discussions to foster mutual understanding, prevent conflicts, and promote constructive exchanges, ultimately enhancing the viewer experience.
COVID-19: A Blessing or Curse on Affected Countries and its Citizens
(Royallite Global, 2020) Duhoe, Alberta Aseye Ama; Toffa, Bernard Akuetey
The emergence of COVID-19, the deadly global virus brought in its wake, both positive and negative results on the general lives of citizens in the affected countries. While many countries, families and global health organizationsstrive in their quest daily to completely remove this pandemic, others on the other hand, though scared of the deadly virus, see it as an avenue to make gains. This paper seeks to examine the fortunes and misfortunes of COVID-19 in the general life of citizens in affected countries around the world and the impact of this supposed blessing or curse on the economy.Currently, implementation of policies and frameworks that tackle digital production and dissemination of misinformation about disease outbreaks is imperative. Governments that participate in truth-telling are moving faster off hazards than those that distort or hesitate the communication of the message of the disease.Corona virus has differed widely in the capital, capacities, and management / mitigation strategies needed. Good preparedness and responsiveness are also important prerequisites. The most risk-effective strategies for raising pandemic readiness, particularly in resource-constrained environments, comprise of investment in strengthening core global health systems, especially water and sewage systems; growing awareness; and immediately extinguishing pandemic-causing sparks.
Cultural Essentialism: A Sordid Boon at the Shores of Sub-Saharan Africa
(Royallite Global, 2018) Nyongesa, Andrew
In our Gikuyu tradition, it is the lead woman who urges the husband to marry again. “Get me a companion.” […] The management of a polygamous household is a matter of individual liberty. Each woman has her own hut…entirely under her own control. When age set peers visit, the wives exercise their freedom, which amounts to something like polyandry. Each wife is free to choose anyone among the age group and give him accommodation for the night. (Kenyatta, 1938, p. 181). The above quote from Jomo Kenyatta’s book underscores the passion with which most independent leaders in Africa desired for a return to past traditions and culture. From Leopold Senghor in Senegal to Aime Ceisar, the clarion call was the rejection of foreign culture and a return to a lost past to restore the African person. At this time, it is probable that none of them realized that the fixed identities they elevated would arm Africans with the much needed arsenal to fight each other. A few years after independence, ethnic conflicts arose as consequence of cultural difference. Favouritism of people of certain ethnic communities in government appointments, employment in companies and promotions in places of work became norms. Today, political mobilization is ethnic- based the competition of which degenerates to violent factions that destroy the social fabric of these nations. Ethnicity is politicized and politicians return to their people to form a formidable base before they seek support from other ethnicities in the country. In the event of allegations of corruption leveled against a politician, members of his community rally behind them. Vernacular media stations behind the mask of promoting African languages and culture perpetuate hate against those communities perceived as enemies to the privileged community. Okogu and Omudjere (2002) observe that tribal groups in African terrain have different cultures with different ideologies with inherent discrimination that evolve series of wars and terrorism (94). They therefore suggest that any tendency to encourage diversity exposes these nations to hostility and political strife. This paper interrogates the efficacy of cultural essentialism on African nations. Using postcolonial theory, the researcher analyses the effects of cultural essentialism on the social fabric of Sub-Saharan Africa. The ideas of Edward Said, Frantz Fanon and Homi Bhabha will form the theoretical basis of interpretation.
Dramatization of Agency and Ecological Consciousness in How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue and Oil on Water by Hellon Habila
(East African Nature and Science Organization, 2024-04) Mwaga, Robert; Mutie, Stephen; Murimi, Gaita
This paper interrogates how authors deploy characters to represent ecological consciousness. The paper draws illustrations from Imbolo Mbue’s How Beautiful We Were andHellon Habila’s Oil on Waterto examine how agency is dramatized through characterization. The paper explores character agency within the subversive space of Bakhtin’s carnival laughter to represent their ecological consciousness. To ground the paper into an analytical perspective, the discussion identifies and discusses the distinct characterizations the two texts' authors employ to represent the characters’ ecological consciousness. The article argues that the writers of the chosen texts effectively use characterisation to create compelling ecological narratives that teach about the need to address environmental degradation. Additionally, the discussion revealshow the two writers depict ecological awareness via the characteristics of carnival shown by the characters. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that characters have a crucial role in delivering sermons about the gruesome consequences of environmental degradation. As a result, the components of carnival, such as craziness, clowns, and heroic characterizations, are used to undermine and challenge the impact of environmental degradation
Ethnic Identities and Gender Themes in Contemporary East African Literature
(2011) Makokha, J. K.S.
Diese Dissertation untersucht Werken von Gegenwartsschriftstellern aus Ostafrika, die entweder dort oder im Ausland leben. Der Textkorpus umfasst neue Romane und Kurzgeschichten in englischer Sprache aus Kenia als ein Mikrokosmos der Region Ostafrikas. Die Region Ostafrika bringt sowohl schriftliche wie auch orale Literaturen hervor. Ostafrika produziert neben englischprachigen Literaturen auch Literaturen in der regionalen Sprache und lingua franca Kisuaheli. Der Begriff „Gegenwartsliteraturen“ bezieht sich allgemein auf die Literaturen in englischer Sprache, die letzte Zwanzig Jahren (1991-2011) entstanden sind. Die in dieser Studie untersuchten Autoren sind: M. G. Vassanji (Kenia/Tanzania), Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenia/Uganda), und Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (Kenia). Die Studie unternimmt eine kritische Infragestellung von neueren Werken von etablierten Schriftstellern wie Vassanji und Ngugi und von neu entstandenen Werken von jüngeren Schriftstellern, die zur Jahrhundertwende (21. Jahrhundert) neue Blicke auf Fragen der Identität entwerfen. Vordergründig wird untersucht, die Art und Weise wie “Ethnizität” und “Gender” in Romanen und Kurzprosa als Indexes der kulturellen Identität fungieren. Wie tragen diese zwei Faktoren zur ästhetischen bzw. formalen Thematisierung der Identitätsfragen in Werken von etablierten bzw. aufkommenden Schriftstellern? Diese Studie entsteht aus der dringenden Bedürfnis, angesichts der vermehrten Konflikte der jüngsten Zeiten, neue kritischen Studien zur den entstehenden Konturen der literarischen Diskursen und vor allem der Diversität der literarischen Kulturen in Afrika hervorzubringen. Die schöpferische Imagination ist eine der Mittel, womit eine Gemeinschaft oder eine Kultur sich in der Welt präsentiert. Sie stellt die internen bzw. externen Umwelten dar. Daher trägt das Studium der Soziologie der Literatur zur Selbstverständnis der literarischen Handlungsträger einer jedweden Gesellschaft bei. Letztes ist nicht nur die tragende Annahme der Studie, sondern die Hautpthese der „postcolonial studies“ als eigenständige literaturwissenschaftliche Disziplin. Die Tendenz, soziologische Parameter in der ostafrikanischen Literaturwissenschaft anzuwenden ist bereits fest etabliert. Aufgrund des multikulturellen Charakters der Gesellschaften und Nationen aus der die Region besteht, dürfte diese Tendenz kaum überraschend sein. Unter diesen Ländern befinden sich Kenia, Uganda, Tansania, Somalia, der Sudan, Äethiopen, Ruanda and Burundi. Die ersten drei dieser Länder, woher die meisten unserer literarischen Texten entstammen, beherbergen indigene afrikanischen Gesellschaftsgruppen sowie Einwanderungsgruppen aus Südasien und der arabischen Halbinsel, wie auch sichtbare Sozialgruppen europäischer Herkunft. Diese drei Stränge der kulturelle Erbe bilden zusammen das Kompositum der ostafrikanischen kulturellen Identität als Ganzes. Es versteht sich von selbst, dass eine solche Studie, die eine Vielzahl an Schriftstellern und Textsorten unter die Lupe nimmt, auf breitgefächerten, jedoch sorgfältig ausgewählten theoretischen bzw. methodologischen Grundlagen basieren muss. Daher werden in dieser Dissertation theoretischen Paradigmen aus der “Gender Studies”, der postkolonialismus Theorie und eigenen Aspekte von Narratologie angewandt, in eine Untersuchung, die im Laufe der sieben Einzelkapiteln, eine wissenschaftlich fundierten Panorama der englischsprachigen ostafrikanischen Literatur in seiner ganzen Breite und mit seinen formalen bzw. thematischen Besonderheiten, bietet.
Exploring the motifs of death and immortality
(Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa, 2009) Maina, Oscar Macharia
Felt threatened by the eventuality of death, inculcating in them a fear so great that all possible strategies are engaged in the search for an avenue that would prepare them for this eventuality. A careful exploration of human activities surrounding the issues of death and immortality reveals an obsession with the expression of the possibility of defeating death through the artistic act. Art functions as the arena where human beings can mock, jeer, and repudiate mortality. Indeed, death is a central conundrum in philosophical, literary and even religious arguments that focus on human identity and reality. The usefulness of literature in exposing human fears, aspirations and desires is emphasized as literature functions as the meeting point where all manner of philosophies are presented and debated. In examining how the motifs of death and immortality are represented in the artistic act, it is imperative that this article draws from a wide range of genres. Apparently, both oral and written forms of human expression, as well as metaphysical, fantastic and mythic representations of the cultural text have been taken into consideration. The revelation is that we rely on art to express even our deepest fears, and we reciprocate by giving art an immortal status. This results in an interdependence that combines to defeat the abrasiveness of mortality. Also, this symbiotic relationship accords the creative act a pivotal role for it gives death a form and a face, making it easier for us to deal with it and assume a privileged psychological standpoint.

Browse

Browsing RP-Department of Literature by Title

Results Per Page

Sort Options