African Literature Exam Notes (2024-2025) PDF

UNIVERSITÉ ALASSANE OUATTARA UFR : LANGUES ET LITTERATURE Département : Anglais LICENCE 2 AFRICAN LITERATURE TRAVAUX DIRIGES NOM ET PRENOMS DE L’ETUDIANT ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… UNITE PEDAGOGIQUE LCAP...

UNIVERSITÉ ALASSANE OUATTARA UFR : LANGUES ET LITTERATURE Département : Anglais LICENCE 2 AFRICAN LITERATURE TRAVAUX DIRIGES NOM ET PRENOMS DE L’ETUDIANT ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… UNITE PEDAGOGIQUE LCAPA ANNÉE UNIVERSITAIRE : 2024-2025 1- COURSE INFORMATION TUTORIAL: AFRICAN LITERATURE SEMESTER: 1 LEVEL: UNDERGRADUATE - LICENCE 2 NUMBER OF HOURS: 12h 2- COURSE INSTRUCTOR Dr…………………………………………………………… ✓ Assistant Professor of African Literature and Civilisation ✓ Email: ………………………………………………. ✓ Phone Number: …………………………………… ✓ Office Hours: By appointment 3- DESCRIPTION In this tutorial, we are going to read and analyze Ifeoma Chinwuba’s novel Fearless (2004). This is a 256-page novel that chronicles the story of Ralph, a white boy, who often falls sick while in London, and as a way out of this predicament, his father decides to take a job in a Mission School in Nigeria as Education Supervisor. He attributes his child’s illness to the weather condition of London and so, feels that the only thing that can be done in order to ameliorate this health anomaly, is to take him to an African environment where the weather condition would serve as a remedy. The novel is divided into three parts. Part 1 gives an account of Ralph’s arrival in Umudo with his father, Matt. It leads us into Matt’s activities in Umudo and his son’s initiation ceremony into the world of adults. Part 2 discusses the various initiation activities that boys of Ralph’s age, Ralph inclusive, go through on Snake Island. From this discussion, we are meant to understand that they have all had a successful initiation ceremony. Part 3 introduces the arrival of the initiates from Snake Island and Ralph’s journey back to London in order to administer African herbs on his sick mother who had been sick before his departure to Africa. -2-  Through interactive activities, students will develop a thorough understanding of Chinwuba’s novel and its major themes (Cultural identity, Hybridity, Cultural appropriation etc.) 4- OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED OUTCOME By the end of the tutorial, the learner should: a) be able to write a good essay on the trends and voices in African literature and illustrate a viewpoint with literary works written by African writers. b) be able to identity major themes and analyze any topic related to Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless (2004). 5- MODE OF DELIVERY - Reading - Essay writing - Group Discussion 6- CLASS ASSESSMENT - Multiple Choice Questions - Essay writing - Oral presentations 7- BIBLIOGRAPHY Chinwuba, Ifeoma. Fearless, London: The Book Guild Ltd, 2004. Ukande, Chris K. “Culture as the Bedrock of a People’s Identity: An Exploration of Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless’’, Global Journal of HUMAN-SOCIAL SCIENCE (C) Sociology & Culture, Volume 16, Issue 2 Version 1, 2016, 23-28. -3-  TUTORIAL 1. TEST N°1 – CHINWUBA’S FEARLESS A- TEST NUMBER ONE – PROPOSED ANSWERS 1. What is African Literature? (3/3) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. Define the term “colonial writing”. (3/3) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3. List ten well-known English-speaking African writers. (5/5) 1………………………………………………… 2……………………………………………………. 3………………………………………………….4……………………………………………………. 5………………………………………………….6……………………………………………………. 7…………………………………………………..8…………………………………………………… 9………………………………………………….10…………………………………………………. 4. Who is the author of Heart of Darkness? When was it published? (2/2) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. Give the name of the author who said that the African writer who emerged after WW2 “has gone through three ages within only the last thirty years or so: the age of the anti-colonial struggle; the age of independence; and the age of neo-colonialism.” Indicate the full title of the book in which we can find the quotation. (2/2) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6. Who are the authors of the following literary works? (5/5) Titles Authors The Lion and the Jewel (1963) Song of Lawino (1966) Devil on the Cross (1980) Things Fall Apart (1958) The Beautyful Ones Are not yet Born (1968) -4-  AN OVERVIEW OF IFEOMA CHINWUBA’S FEARLESS B- BRAINSTORMING 1. Who is Ifeoma Chinwuba? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. To which generation of African writers does Ifeoma Chinwuba belong? Justify your answer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. How many books has she written? List them and give their dates of publication. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Have you read Fearless? What is it about? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -5- B. STUDY THE FOLLOWING CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS OF FICTION IN FEARLESS 1. Setting The term “setting” is often used to refer to the social milieu in which the events of a novel occur. The setting of the novel is where the action of the story happens. Setting includes place, time and culture of where the story happens. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Characters: Round vs. Flat How do the characters change throughout the story? What caused or provoked this change? Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? In his book Aspects of the Novel, E. M. Forster defined two basic types of characters, their qualities, functions, and importance for the development of the novel: flat characters and round characters. Flat characters are two- dimensional, in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work. By contrast, round characters are complex and undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader. The protagonist is usually a dynamic character that changes the most during the course of the events. The antagonist is usually the opposite of the protagonist. The antagonist is someone who puts obstacles in the way of the main character, creates difficulties and challenges the protagonist. List of characters Male / Female Round / Flat Protagonist/ antagonist -6-  3. Plot Plot is a literary term defined as the events that make up a story, particularly as they relate to one another in a pattern, in a sequence, through cause and effect, how the reader views the story, or simply by coincidence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -7-  TUTORIAL 2. WRITING A LITERARY COMMENTARY A. GUIDELINES What is a commentary? ▪ First and foremost, a literary commentary is NOT an essay. The passage in front of you is not, therefore, an invitation to write a general essay about the work from which it has been taken. ▪ A commentary is an analysis of the given passage, its function and its characteristics. It should examine the key themes and stylistic devices of the passage, showing how the language works to convey (or at times undermine) its content. ▪ A commentary should relate the passage to the rest of the work (novel, collection of poems, etc.), but remain focused in the main on the details of the passage itself. ▪ Make sure that your commentary covers the whole passage. For instance, if you are given a poem with five stanzas, you should try to say something about each stanza. ▪ Use line numbers (in both poetry and prose) in your commentary, rather than wasting time by quoting at length. ▪ When you do quote, make sure that your comments don't simply repeat what the quotation already says: 'In the line "Il pleut dehors", the poet tells us that it is raining outside...' ▪ Avoid verbosity or inaccurate terminology. Clarity and precision are top priorities, and polysyllabic words do not improve a commentary. ▪ Don't use words like 'effective', 'atmospheric', or 'beautiful' unless you are also explaining what the effect, atmosphere or beauty of the passage are, and how they are achieved. How should I write my commentary? There are no fixed rules for writing a commentary, but a general structure will be suggested. You should always PLAN your commentary before you start writing it, following these guidelines where appropriate. -8- 1. Introduction ▪ Put the passage into context, and summarise its arguments briefly (in a few sentences): do not spend too much time discussing matters outside of the passage. ▪ You should assume that your reader has read the work from which the passage has been taken. ▪ You may want to point out the passage's most important thematic and structural aspects in your introduction. 2. Overview ▪ Introduce the main themes and structural aspects of the passage. ▪ What kind of passage is it (description/dialogue/free indirect speech), and what is its function (in the rest of the work)? ▪ What is its overall structure (repetitious/circuIar/leitmotifs/develops to a climax)? ▪ What is the narrative point of view (first-person/third- person/omniscient or not)? ▪ What are the register (high/low) and tone (comic/surreal) of the passage? 3. Detailed Analysis This is the most substantial part of the commentary. It should not be simple description or paraphrase, but an analysis of how the language of the passage functions. The following are aspects of the text that you should look for: ▪ Sentence structure ▪ Tense usage ▪ Word order (balance or lack thereof, harmony, repetition, parallels) ▪ Figurative language (imagery, metaphors, similes, symbolism, allegory, personification, myth, antithesis, irony, paradox) ▪ Characterisation (or lack thereof) ▪ Narrative technique/point of view (first/third person, limited point of view, stream of consciousness) -9-  ▪ Punctuation ▪ Vocabulary ▪ Alliteration, assonance, rhyme (poetry and prose) Remember that no text is likely to have instances of all of these elements, and that it is best to concentrate on those that are most relevant to the passage in question. Also, you should avoid simply commenting on the appearance of a particular technique: make sure you say why this is worth noticing. Ideally, your comments should cohere to explain how the various linguistic devices combine to produce the overall effect intended by the author. 4. Conclusion ▪ Summarise your findings, drawing together the different aspects of the text that you have discussed in your commentary. ▪ Assess briefly the achievements and significance of the passage, both in itself and in relation to the work from which it is taken. Adapted from: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/modernlanguages/intranet/undergraduate/skills/commesswriting/commentarywriting/ B. ASSIGNMENT 1. Read and comment upon the first chapter of Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless, pp. 2-4. What is it about? Which characters do you meet in this chapter? To which main problems are they confronted to and how do they manage to solve them? 2. Comment upon the following statement in Fearless: “May you go well as a boy, and return safely, a man. May you bear the pains like a man and not cry out in disgrace. May our gods go before you” (182). - 10 -  TUTORIAL 3. WRITING A LITERARY ESSAY ASSIGNMENT Select one of the following topics and write a very good essay on Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless. 1-Do you think that Ifeoma Chinwuba successfully asserts the validity of African culture in Fearless? 2- How does Ifeoma Chinwuba deconstruct Western cultural domination in Fearless? 3- What is the meaning of initiation ceremonies, libations and kola nuts in Chinwuba’s Fearless? 4- Draw the psychological portraits of Ralph and Matt in Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless. 5- What do you think about Ifeoma Chinwuba’s representation of Africa in Fearless ? 6- African traditional medecine in Ifeoma Chinwumba’s Fearless. - 11 -  Global Journal of HUMAN-SOCIAL SCIENCE: C Sociology & Culture Volume 16 Issue 2 Version 1.0 Year 2016 Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Inc. (USA) Online ISSN: 2249-460x & Print ISSN: 0975-587X Culture as the Bedrock of a People’s Identity: An Exploration of Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless By Chris K. Ukande Benue State University, Nigeria Abstract- The colonial process which brought the coloniser and the colonised into a long period of co-existence and cohabitation which led to a master-servant relationship was not without major effects on the colonised up to the post independence era. As a way of curbing these effects on the colonised mentality, African writers, Nigerian inclusive have resorted to writing of works that would incorporate the use of cultural artifacts so as to depict their image and true identity. Through the lens of post-colonialism this herculean task of looking inwards and making use of that which is African, is made possible. Post-colonial theory is used to examine the ramifications of colonisation for both the coloniser and the colonised, as portrayed in the novel, Fearless of Ifeoma Chinwuba. The paper therefore, concludes that it is only when the colonised people begin to look inwards and appreciate the things that make them who they are culturally, that the recuperation of African culture as against western ideologies can positively be achieved. The textual analysis is specially based on the post-colonial discourse elements of hybridity, appropriation, abrogation, untranslated words and affiliation. GJHSS-C Classification : FOR Code: 200299 CultureastheBedrockofaPeoplesIdentityAnExplorationofIfeomaChinwubasFearless Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of: © 2016. Chris K. Ukande. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creative commons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Culture as the Bedrock of a People’s Identity: An Exploration of Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless Chris K. Ukande Abstract- The colonial process which brought the coloniser colonial writers have no doubt, taken the bold step of and the colonised into a long period of co-existence and incorporating into their artistic works discourse elements cohabitation which led to a master-servant relationship was that are hinged on the indigenous languages and not without major effects on the colonised up to the post cultural trappings of the Nigerian people, in order that independence era. As a way of curbing these effects on the 2016 they can be seen as truly being crusaders and colonised mentality, African writers, Nigerian inclusive have custodians of the Nigerian people’s identity. This in Year resorted to writing of works that would incorporate the use of cultural artifacts so as to depict their image and true identity. effect, has heralded a new dawn for the people of Africa Through the lens of post-colonialism this herculean task of in general and Nigeria in particular. looking inwards and making use of that which is African, is Suffice it to say that Chinua Achebe is 23 made possible. Post-colonial theory is used to examine the recognised as one of the first Nigerian writers who have ramifications of colonisation for both the coloniser and the Global Journal of Human Social Science ( C ) Volume XVI Issue II Version I demonstrated the ability to register a true sense of colonised, as portrayed in the novel, Fearless of Ifeoma cultural identity and nationalism on the one hand, and Chinwuba. The paper therefore, concludes that it is only when the liberation of the Nigerian/African from colonial the colonised people begin to look inwards and appreciate the things that make them who they are culturally, that the mentality on the other hand. This sort of attitude was first recuperation of African culture as against western ideologies noticed in his Things Fall Apart (1958). Regarding can positively be achieved. The textual analysis is specially Achebe’s reconstruction of the West’s misrepresentation based on the post-colonial discourse elements of hybridity, of Nigeria/Africa’s image, Charles Nnolim States, thus: appropriation, abrogation, untranslated words and affiliation. Achebe is the inaugurator of the great tradition of the Nigerian novel – that tradition which is concerned with I. Introduction cultural assertion or cultural nationalism which stresses T he colonial process that has been for centuries, and promotes the innate dignity of the blackman and makes creative use of our myths, legends, rituals, has brought about an interaction and a co- festivals, ceremonies and folklore. (197) existence between the colonised and the coloniser that the former is permanently subjected to a continuous Thus, from the days of Achebe to the present, subjugation, oppression, repression and suppression of the Nigerian novel in particular and short stories in their culture and identity, even though the formal general, have had a strong tradition of showcasing the process of colonialism is brought to an end. Many cultural traits of the Nigerian people. Many Nigerian African nations, Nigeria inclusive, have fervently been writers who can be regarded as taking after Achebe, devising means and ways of being on their own, and not Chinwuba inclusive, have characteristically included in their literary productions, words and phrases that are - totally depending on the West, who first and foremost, masterminded the colonial process and system on the from the language of their origin. This form of expression African continent. includes the use of pidgin English. This is systematically It is quite glaring to note that this dependency done in order to create an English grammatical structure that these African nations have cultivated is not only that helps in distorting the use of Queen’s English so as noticed in their socio-economic and political spheres of to produce a true sense of Nigerian flavor. life, but also in their literary endeavours. Thus, in order to II. The Perspective from which ifeoma get out of this gridlock, writers all over Africa have consciously or unconsciously been doing the best they Chinwuba Writes can, especially as it concerns the projection of a truly Post-colonialism is the hallmark that forms the African culture and identity in their artistic works that corpus of Chinwuba’s writing. Post-colonialism as a make such works quite distinct from for instance the theory is described variously by different exponents. westernised works. Nigerian writers too, particularly One of such exponents is Chris Rohmann. In discussing those of them who write from a post-colonial standpoint, the theory of post-colonialism, he corroborates that it are involved in this task of a resonance of their culture is a and identity in their various literary works. Nigerian post- Movement in social and literary criticism that presents responses to the effects of European IMPERIALISM on Author: Ph.D, Department of English, Benue State University, Makurdi, colonized peoples. Post-colonialism offers a “counter Nigeria. e-mail: [email protected] narrative”, related by and on behalf of formerly colonized © 20 16 Global Journals Inc. (US)  Culture as the Bedrock of a People’s Identity: An Exploration of Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless peoples, to the ETHNOCENTRIC assumptions of Western with prejudice, the need to rectify the dented reputation culture. The term “postcolonial” thus implies not only of such culture results in a re-awakening and re- “after the colonial era” but also a critical approach that affirmation. Che Guevera’s position on self-identity as a arises from and contests the premises of, colonialism. core concern of post-colonialism is endorsed by Kirsti (309) Bohata who postulates that the theory The above gives a clear indication that post- [o]ffers a structure within which the past can be colonial literatures are those works that are written in interrogated with the aim of reconstructing the present. It total rejection of the Western, canonical European is a strategic methodology, a self-conscious act of cultural literature. The simple reason to this is that the colonial and historical imagination and, as such, is rich with project was made possible mainly through the use of possibilities for peoples whose stories and histories have literature to do so. Especially, the British were known for been suppressed, neglected, untaught. (15) aggressive literary washout of indigenous literatures and Discussing post-colonialism, Homi Bhabha affirms that cultures, which led them to replacing them with the then 2016 canonical, British literature in standard English. Post- The wider significance of the post (colonial) condition lies Year colonial literature therefore, provides a “counter in the awareness that the epistemological limits of these narrative”, related by and on behalf of formerly colonized ethnocentric ideas are also the enunciative boundaries of peoples” (309), so as to reclaim that African aesthetics a range of other dissonant, even dissident histories and 24 voices …, the colonized, minority groups. For the and culture which of course, make the literature of the demography of the new internationalism is the history of African, a utilitarian kind. postcolonial migration, the narrative of cultural and Global Journal of Human Social Science (C ) Volume XVI Issue II Version I On his part, Terhemba Shija states that political Diaspora, the major social displacements of peasant and aboriginal communities, the poetics of exile, ---[p]ost-colonialist interpretation can be suited in the the grim prose of political and economic refugees. (18) deliberate deprivation of citizens of basic amenities of life by a minority ruling class which seeks to perpetuate the The aforementioned scenario explicates a basic subjugation of the masses. It also questions the concept phenomenon which centres on a mission of self- of globalization which dubiously claims to reduce the recovery by the colonised. A recovery of the lost world into a global village with all citizens of the world identities that was occasioned by the incursion of actively and spontaneously participating in business and colonialism, therefore, becomes the hallmark of the other activities. (7) once colonised people. Thus, the question of identity The above scenario is indicative of the fact that traverses post-colonialist thinking from the days of post-colonialism is one theory that investigates the Senghor’s negritude movement to the days of Gayatri activities of the ruling class, in a capitalist society, that Spivak, Frantz Fanon, Ashcroft et al’s who are some of are quite exploitative and suffocating, and then creates the exponents of post-colonialism. Being that the a voice for a people who have been made voiceless colonial power had fundamentally had a disruption and beginning from the days of colonialism to the present distortion of indigenous cultures and identities in the era of globalization. It also chronicles the fact that the past, it is quite remarkable to agree then that as problems of the Third World Countries are such that Bhabha’s quote above suggests, post-colonial migrant solutions to them can be gotten within as a means of groups or the aboriginal people could be seen as striving to achieve an identity and a way of solving returning the compliment in somewhat modest and - problem that would be devoid of Westernise influence more subtle manner or fashion. and control. a) Post-Colonial Discourse Elements Che Guevera emphasises the intrinsic value of For the purpose of analysing Ifgeoma post-colonialism in the following words: Chinwuba’s Fearless, the following post-colonial [i]t deals with cultural identity in colonized societies; the discourse elements of appropriation, abrogation, dilemmas of developing a national identity after colonial hybridity, untranslated words and affiliation will be used rule; the ways which writers articulate and celebrate that as the basis for a proper discourse of the text, and what identity (often reclaiming it from and maintaining strong each of this means will be explained. connections with the colonized); the ways in which the knowledge of the colonized (subordinate) people has b) Appropriation been generated and used to serve the colonizer’s interest; Being that English Language has had a and the ways in which the colonizers literature has hegemonic influence over the indigenous languages justified colonialism via images of colonized as from the days of colonialism to the present, writers all perpetually inferior people, society and culture. (2) over Africa, having had a history of colonialism, felt the Post-colonial writers, the likes of Ifeoma need to free themselves from this sort of cultural Chinwuba, attach much importance to the question of gridlock by resorting to the principle of appropriation. In cultural identity, because when a people’s culture is the words of Ashcroft et al, appropriation means “the looked upon with disdain or as being inferior, or treated process by which the English language is taken to bear © 2016 Global Journalss Inc. (US)  Culture as the Bedrock of a People’s Identity: An Exploration of Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless the burden of one’s own cultural experiences; or … to beyond the narrow confines of the European and convey in a language that is not one’s own the spirit that canonical literary into [the] cultural texture [of] the status is one’s own” (38). In subscribing to the above view, of the author, historical moment, conditions of publication, diffusion and reception, values drawn upon, values and Chinua Achebe writes, “I feel the English language will ideas assumed, a framework of contextually held tacit be able to carry the weight of the African experiences, it assumptions, presumed background, and so on. (105) had to be a new English, still in communion with its ancestral home but altered to suit new African The above scenario is indicative of a shift from surroundings” (23). filiative to affiliative status of literary works in Africa, which in essence, brings about a showcasing of the c) Abrogation exploration of Africa’s rich cultural heritage in literary The process of abrogation is one that is quite texts that are of African origin. Ashcroft elaborates different from appropriation, the main concern of which further as he says: “By thus stressing the affiliations of is the seizure of English language. In discussing what texts, its origins in cultural and social reality rather than 2016 abrogation translates into, Ngugi wa Thiong’o defends it its filiative connections with English literature and in the following words, “the most obvious problem is canonical criteria, the critic can uncover cultural and Year one of language. The fact that you are writing in a political implications that may seem only fleetingly foreign language means that you are operating in a addressed in the text itself”. (Key Concepts 56). foreign cultural framework. This often leads African 25 writers standing as referees between the common man g) Synopsis of the Novel and elite” (34). What this means is that the grammatical This is a 256-page novel. It chronicles the story Global Journal of Human Social Science ( C ) Volume XVI Issue II Version I structure of English language is distorted, bringing into of Ralph, a white boy, who often falls sick while in being a grammatical structure that is unique and of London, and as a way out of this predicament, his father African origin only. decides to take a job in a Mission School in Nigeria as Education Supervisor. He attributes his child’s illness to d) Untranslated Words: Cultural Nationalism the weather condition of London and so, feels that the The whole essence of the use of indigenous only thing that can be done in order to ameliorate this words without having to gloss over them, is done to health anomaly, is to take him to an African environment create cultural independence. Most African writers use where the weather condition would serve as a remedy. this as a systematic way of keeping the Western world at The novel is divided into three parts. Part 1 bay in their literary productions. It is in this connection gives an account of Ralph’s arrival in Umudo with his that Ashcroft states that “the technique of the selection father, Matt. It leads us into Matt’s activities in Umudo of lexical fidelity which leaves some words untranslated and his son’s initiation ceremony into the world of in the text is more widely used device for conveying the adults. Part 2 discusses the various initiation activities sense of cultural distinctiveness” (64). that boy’s of Ralph’s age, Ralph inclusive, go through on Snake Island. From this discussion, we are meant to e) Hybridity understand that they have all had a successful initiation This is a process whereby two phenomena are ceremony. Part 3 introduces the arrival of the initiates brought into one environment to make a whole single from Snake Island and Ralph’s journey back to London identity. Kristi Bohata writes that “hybridity arises from in order to administer African herbs on his sick mother cultural contact and interchange. While for the individual - who had been sick before his departure to Africa. this may be a painfully divisive experience, in terms of cultural production the hybrid luminal space becomes h) Polemic Analysis of the Text an exciting and fertile area of cultural production” (25). In order to pursue a cultural stance, Chinwuba tries as much as possible to depict instances in the text f) Affiliation that would be devoid of western characteristics. One of Affiliation is a sort of strategy that allows the the ways of doing this is the use of appropriation in her coloniser’s identification with indigenous socio-political Fearless. The first instance that the use of appropriation value system. In literary criticism therefore, it allows the is noticed is when she discusses the initiation ceremony. independent reading of texts, that is, without having to Being that Ralph the white boy has to undergo this fish out or bring out parallel trends with, or, measure ceremony, Udego, Ralph’s friend educates Ralph on the them against, western “classics”, with little or no respect ways of the people of Umudo. The essence of this is to for their cultural milieu. get him acquainted with the cultural traits of his Bill Ashcroft speaks further of this notion in the new environment before his day of initiation. His following words indoctrination is done in these words: While filiation suggests a utopian domain of texts We learn more dances, wrestling, hunting, music, and the connected serially, homogously and seamlessly with history of our land. Finally is the circumcision. And the other texts, affiliation is that which enables a text to tribal mark. It is the main thing. After that, we are given a maintain itself as a text, …affiliation sends the critical gaze few days rest, for the wound to heal. Then we return to © 20 16 Global Journals Inc. (US)  Culture as the Bedrock of a People’s Identity: An Exploration of Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless merriment and feasting, wrestling and dancing. And the Apart from the use of appropriation, Chinwuba harvest. (61) also makes use of abrogation in her Fearless. This is The author in the above, succeeds in using the done through the use of one of the characters in the English Language in expressing a true African tradition text. Uwa who happens to be the cook and house help and experience that allow the teenagers the opportunity for Matt, the white man, communicates all through in to be initiated into the adult world. Once children receive pidgin English. The use of pidgin in this work gives it a Ralph’s sort of education, which also affords them the special form of communication which W. D. Ashcroft opportunity of knowing their people’s history and that writes about in the following expression. which makes them distinct from other people, such Syntactic (and orthographic) fusion can signify children seize to be children as their mother would wish differences in a number of ways, but as the index of a at the point of departure for the initiation ceremony, cultural gap it is the difference which distances rather “may you go well as a boy and return safely, a man. May than which identifies. The fascinating thing here, of you bear the pains like a man and not cry out in course, is that difference is constructed in reference to 2016 disgrace” (183). another learned language, pidgin bears not a culture, Year In discussing the costume that gives the but an historical and political reference to difference. (7) prospective initiates distinct appearance from other Thus, what distinguishes Chinwuba from children, Chinwuba narrates that, “they watched as in Achebe for instance, is that Chinwuba’s use of pidgin 26 the square, young lads of similar heights to the lad, clad brings to limelight the fact that the variety is an in raffia skirts and headgear, danced towards the new association to a range of socio-economic statuses Global Journal of Human Social Science (C ) Volume XVI Issue II Version I boy. Their bare chest and legs were sprinkled with a red covering urban workers and the commoners of the liquid, interspersed with white chalk” (13). This portrayal society rather than a projection or a depiction of blacks aside, the kids are usually given an indoctrination which working for the whites. This then follows that the use of prepares them for the great day of initiation, in order to pidgin English in her work does not indicate a be stoical as they journey into maturity. Chinwuba bestardised version of Queen’s English as a result of similarly employs appropriation showing how valuable colonial contact and subjugation, but a resource that kola nut is to the African and how the pouring of libation results from the urban and rural working classes alike, among Africans shows reference to their ancestors. As thus, making it a language of national expression in can be seen in the following quotation, the pouring of generally accepted and recognised social contexts libation, links the living and the dead, and the kola nut is within the Nigerian polity. itself a source of life to Africans: Some examples in the text suffice the foregoing He had witnessed the pouring of libation by the local discussion: “He going to bathe in the stream. You want chief, and the breaking of something called kola nut by follow him?” (57) (He wants to go and bathe in the the elders. Was this real; was he really in Africa, in stream. Do you want to follow him?), “Oyibo pepper, if Umudo, about to head – primary school across the path? you eati pepper, you will yellow more, more” (60) (A As he listened to one welcome address after the other, song that says if a white person eats pepper, he or she some via interpreters, his mind voluntarily went back to will become whiter), “Junior go late for school, get cane London, a few weeks ago. (14) for back” (64) (Junior has gone late to school, and had a Chinwuba demonstrates how efficacious African cane on his back for being late), “I think you want eat for - herbs can be, hence, the determination of Phoebe, white man house. Eat, let us see” (88) (I think you want Ralph’s mother, to be cured by African herbs, since her to eat in a white man’s house. Eat, let us see), “Thank ailment defies orthodox treatment. In her strong belief in your gods that it is rice that Uwa cook today” (89) African herbs, she calls her son and says to him, “There (Thank your gods that it is rice that Uwa has cooked are many great medicine men in Africa. They may have today), “Small master no go school?” (116) (Has small the herb already for this disease without our knowing it. master not gone to school?) and “Master tell Uwa, If so, find it, son” (29). Consequently, Ralph on getting sweep yard, fetch water, wash cloth, cook food. He no to Africa, and through his friend’s father Ofokansi, the tell Uwa what for do if small master body hot. O-o Uwa, great medicine man, he gets the herbs for his mother’s what kind trouble be this?). (Master tells Uwa to sweep cure. He returns to London to administer the herbs on th yard, fetch water, wash cloth, cook food. He did not her. tell Uwa what to do when mster is sick). He washed the other leaves. He brought a In handling culture in a manner that makes it a clean glass and one by one, squeezed their liquid into it. signpost of a people’s identity, Chinwuba still weaves It did not amount to much. Hardly a third of the glass. her narration around the initiation ceremony again. In He approached his mother’s bed, glass in hand. There this way, she writes: “No one had warned him in London was no way he could make the patient down this. Then about this aspect of a boy’s life in Africa. What was more an idea occurred to him. He cut a tiny slit in the plastic baffling was the ease with which Ralph had accepted intra-nevous bag and poured the thick dark concoction this alien custom, had yearned for it, had embraced it, into it. It turned green. (249) had become engulfed in it” (183). Two different cultures © 2016 Global Journalss Inc. (US)  Culture as the Bedrock of a People’s Identity: An Exploration of Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless from two different geographical terrains are presented in realm amongst humans, so also it is amongst the above. We see that in Africa, for one to fully become masquerades in the spiritual. In the Snake Island, a man, one must undergo an initiation ceremony that Chinwuba consciously presents a scenario of has been enshrined in a people’s custom and, masquerade dance. therefore, has become part and parcel of such a The other masquerades also mixed with the people’s way of life. In the western world, this is not so. initiates. They danced some complicated steps, all the Therefore, Ralph’s strong desire to be part of a custom while howling fiendishly. One stood on one foot, and his father considers alien and barbaric, avails the young somersaulted. Dance steps mixed with different types of man an experience in hybridity. acrobatics. His mask was the skill of a crocodile. It Also, Chinwuba makes use of hybridity in terms exuded thick smoke. Evil-Smoke without Fire, he was of how Ralph gets cured by the African weather called. There were so many spirits dancing about and condition, as she presents the African weather as being raising dust. (200) medicinal on the skin of Ralph. “Was this the sickly boy Characteristically, the Igbos are known for 2016 who had spent countless days in his London bed, who eating a particular food recipe that is popularly known as Year missed school on account of one illness or the other? ‘fufu’ in a very stylish manner, that distinguishes them Who had occupied several hospital beds in his short life from other people. As Ralph the white boy and his time? This change was remarkable. Drastic”(183). friends are about to eat in Amandi’s house, Chinwuba 27 Indeed, Matt is surprised at his son’s recovery in an depicts the children’s eating habit, as she writes: “each African community and wonders why his son whose life cut out a bit of fufu, rolled it into a ball, dipped it into the Global Journal of Human Social Science ( C ) Volume XVI Issue II Version I story in London has been characterised by much soup plate and swallowed” (54), and Ralph who sickness, suddenly becomes strong and healthy in watches this with a lot of surprise, does same as Africa. This shows how Ralph adapts to the African Chinwuba express that “Ralph took a handful of fufu and weather more positively and quickly than expected. made to put it directly into his mouth, but the others In terms of the use of untranslated stopped him. Dip it into the soup first. Then swallow. He words/expressions, Chinwuba has not made much use tried it and was overtaken by a bout of coughing” (55), of this, but she however, touches on this in her work therefore, food, especially ‘fufu’ which is an important slightly. In the text, the following are noticed: “Omenma” aspect of the culture of the Igbos, is brought to bear on (58) (Doer of good), “Okepa” (59) (Big foot), “usu” (78) Chinwuba’s narration, and as such, giving it national (Bat), “Obi” (49) (An area in a man’s house meant for and international recognition and identity. receiving visitors), “Ogbuagu” (50) (Killer of lion), Proverbs too, are part of the things that “Okwe” (79) (A game of seeds), “Bia” (81) (Come), constitute the lives of Africans, and as such, they are “Nmiri” (81) (water), “Ogene” (105) (A musical highly cherished and valued as cultural artifact. In the instrument in form of a gong), “Iba” (118) (Malaria), recognition of this all important role of proverbs in the “Dibia” (medicine man), “Ndo” (219) (Sorry), “Daalu” socio-political and cultural lives of the African people in (246) (Thank you) and “Ise” (245) (Amen). general and Nigerian people in particular, Chinwuba In her use of affiliation, Chinwuba shows how weaves into her narration some of the proverbial sayings dance is part and parcel of a people’s cultural life. As that make living more meaningful to Africans in the such, the music that facilitates dance in every occasion, following - embodies the people’s socio-cultural and historical Usu, the bat, is neither a bird of the air, nor animal of the deeds that have been associated with great heroes in ground. He says he knows how ugly he is; that is why he the past. Dance is therefore, one of the phenomena that goes out only in the dark. Let the eagle perch and let the gives a particular people their true identity that makes hawk perch; the one that says no to the other, may its them distinguishable from other people. By way of wing break. The frog does not hop in the day time unless affiliation, Chinwuba portrays the socio-cultural value something is after its life. Whatever is begotten of the system of the people of Umudo, during the reception of snake, must resemble a snake. (78) Matt, the new supervisor of Mission School in the III. Conclusion following words The musicians had come early. Hours before noon they From the foregone, the paper has successfully had assembled their instruments and were now beating shown that Ifeoma Chinwuba writes from a post-colonial the whole village to a frenzy. The sound of the drum and perspective, especially as she uses her work to the gong could be heard from far away. The flute was not appropriate the coloniser’s language and adapt it to as loud. Together, the result was rhythmic tune. People ‘bear’ the burden of the African/Nigerian people. To give sat patiently, their bodies involuntarily moving to the beat the work a truly Nigerian touch, Chinwuba makes sure of the music. Some tapped their feet, others twisted their that it bears in it that which can be classified as the bodies this way and that …(6) cultural identity of the Nigerian people of Igbo extraction. Again, just the way dance is considered an Again, the paper has revealed through the work of important aspect of a people’s culture in the physical Chinwuba that Nigerians after all, have their own culture, © 20 16 Global Journals Inc. (US)  Culture as the Bedrock of a People’s Identity: An Exploration of Ifeoma Chinwuba’s Fearless and as such, such culture can better be appreciated if we begin to look inwards, and then reduce to a considerable measure the influence of the westernised world on the one hand, and that even though we recognise the culture of the western world, we should not totally undermine our culture as a people, on the other hand. This goes to say that no matter the amount of the influence of western cultural traits on our reasoning, we should make it a point of duty to always consciously be aware of that which gives us our identity as a people and makes us who we really are. It is by doing this, that we can be seen celebrating and grappling with the things that are truly ours as a people. 2016 Suffice it to say that as a cultural crusader, Chinwuba Year depicts that she is socially committed to the task of a promotion of the culture of the Nigerian people in general and that of the Igbo people in particular. 28 References Références Referencias Global Journal of Human Social Science (C ) Volume XVI Issue II Version I 1. Achebe, Chinua. Morning Yet on Creation Day. New York: Doubleday, 1973. Print. 2. Ashcroft, Bill. Key Concepts in Post-Colonial Studies. London: Routledge, 1988. Print. 3. --- The Empire Writes Back. London: Routledge, 1987. Print. 4. Ashcroft, W. D. ‘Is that the Congo? Language as Metonymy in the Post-Colonial Text’. July, 2008, Accessed April 22, 2014 Web. 5. Bohata, Kristi. Writing Wales in English: Post- Colonialism Revisited. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2004. Print. 6. Bhabha, Homi. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 1998. Print. 7. Chinwuba, Ifeoma. Fearless. Great Britain: The Book Guild Ltd, 2004. Print. 8. Guevera, Che. ‘Post-Colonialism’ Speech to the United Nations, December II, 1964. 9. Nnolim, Charles. Approaches to the African Novel: - Essays in Analysis. Lagos: Matt house Press, 2010. Print. 10. Rohmann, Chris. A World of Ideas: A Dictionary of Important Theories, Concepts, Beliefs, and Thinkers. United States: The Random House Publishing Group, 199. Print. 11. Shija, Terhemba. Post-Coloniality and the Poetry of Tanure Ojaide. Makurdi: Aboki Publishers, 2006. Print. 12. Wa Thiong’o, Ngugi. Ngugi wa Thiong’o Speaks. Trenton: African World Press, 2006. Print. © 2016 Global Journalss Inc. (US)