Burkinabe literature

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Burkinabé literature grew out of oral tradition, which remains important. In 1934, during French occupation, published his Maximes, pensées et devinettes mossi (Maxims, Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi), a record of the oral history of the Mossi people. The oral tradition continued to have an influence on Burkinabé writers in the post-independence Burkina Faso of the 1960s, such as Nazi Boni and . The 1960s saw a growth in the number of playwrights being published. Since the 1970s, literature has developed in Burkina Faso with many more writers being published.

Early literature and colonial times[]

Prior to colonisation, written literature was virtually absent in Burkina Faso, like much of Africa.[1] The oral tradition has always been important to the many ethnic groups, sustaining the cultural diversity of the country.[2] Culture has been transmitted orally through music and dance.[1] This has been described by Titinga Frédéric Pacéré in his 1992 book Le langage des tam-tams et des masques Afrique, emphasising the importance in many of Burkina Faso's ethnic groups of griots, and the older members of the communities.[1]

In 1934, wrote his book Maximes, pensées et devinettes mossi (Maximes, Thoughts and Riddles of the Mossi), recording the oral history of the kingdom which gave rise to Burkina Faso.[2][3]

Post-independence[]

The first novel by a Burkinabé writer was Crépuscule des temps anciens (The Dawn of Ancient Times or The Twilight of the Bygone Days) by Nazi Boni, published in 1962.[3][4] Boni was an important political figure in his country's independence and political issues informed his writing.[4] His novel explores the traditions of the people and has been called an "ethnographic novel".[5][6] The second Burkinabé novel was 's 1967 book Dessein contraire.[5]

During the 1960s, there was also a proliferation of theatre works.[2] Playwrights that became prominent in this time included with L'avare Moaga: comédie des moeurs (Miser Moaga: a Comedy of Manners), with Sansoa and Moussa Savadogo with Fille de le Volta (Daughter of the Volta) and L'oracle (The Oracle).[2][7][8]

In the 1970s, the next generation of Burkinabé novelists included , and .[1][3] More recent writers include , , , and Norbert Zongo.[1][2] From the 1980s, women writers in Burkina Faso began to be published including , Bernadette Dao, Angèle Bassolé-Ouédraogo, , Monique Ilboudo, , Sarah Bouyain and Adiza Sanoussi.[3] A particularly noted writer has been Frédéric Pacéré Titinga.[1]

See also[]

  • Francophone literature
  • List of Burkinabé writers

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Marchais, Julien. Burkina Faso (in French). Petit Futé. pp. 91–92. ISBN 2-7469-1601-0.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Salhi, Kamal (1999). Francophone Voices. Intellect Books. p. 37. ISBN 1-902454-03-0.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Burkina Faso literature at a glance". The University of Western Australia. 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Gikandi, Simon; Michel Tinguiri (2003). Encyclopedia of African literature. Taylor & Francis. p. 102. ISBN 0-415-23019-5.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Allan, Tuzyline Jita (1997). Women's Studies Quarterly: Teaching African Literatures in a Global Literary. Feminist Press. p. 86. ISBN 1-55861-169-X.
  6. ^ Kevane, Michael (2004). Women and Development in Africa: How Gender Works. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 74. ISBN 1-58826-238-3.
  7. ^ Gassner, John; Edward Quinn (2003). The Reader's Encyclopedia of World Drama. Courier Dover Publications. pp. 9. ISBN 0-486-42064-7.
  8. ^ Gérard, Albert S. (1986). European-language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa. John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 596. ISBN 963-05-3833-4.
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