Between Globalization and Localization: Aesthetic Manifestation of Globality, Reflexivity and Social Change in Daya Pawar’s Baluta (2015)

Daya Pawar posthumously clearly establishes his human personality, laying bare to readers of his work, both his scars and warts, his pride and shame. Through his story Baluta, considered his autobiography and recently translated to English by Jerry Pinto, he gives us a chance to reclaim our own humanity. In a society where castes play a big role in determining both the present and the future of a person, social change is the only way to ensure equity and fairness to those regarded as the lower caste members, a group to which Daya Pawar himself belonged. The text Baluta  thus comes in handy to both bring out the woes of the dalits, and their importance on the flipside in the society, which the members of the upper caste blatantly refuse to acknowledge, but left alone, cannot perform these roles that are considered filthy. These Dalits are born into savagery, hence they are compelled to live within this cocoon, with minimum chances of ever changing this situation. Baluta, however, as stated by Pawar is just but a tip of the iceberg, hence there is still more to be deciphered concerning the plight of the lower caste members in India. This paper entails an analysis of Baluta, in terms of how globality, reflexivity and social change have been reflected, with these three concepts oscillating between globalization and localization

Okot’s Aesthetics Revisited: On Symbolic and Parabolic Expression in Song of Lawino

Song of Lawino remains a majestic imprint in East African literary map. On its publication in 1968, Lindfors (1984) asserts that “Okot was immediately recognized as a classical African poet’ (44). Initially written in Acoli language, the book received acclaims the world over as a new bearing for African literary artists. Since then, it continues to occupy its own niche in 21st century, which is affirmed in introduction to the 2014 impression of Song of Lawino: ‘Okot’s work will not cease to be relevant for a long time to come’ (10).  Okot was honoured posthumously in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Song of Lawino on 18th March 2016 at Makerere University and Kenyatta University, literature department in a colloquium held in December 2016.  The immense interest in the work  is shown in translations into Luganda and  then Sheng by J.K.S. Makokha, which has been appreciated by Wanambisi (1984), Mugambi (1992) and others as being African and unique art. This paper intends to add a voice in the appreciation of Song of Lawino Fifty years since its publication. The author contends that the book utilizes symbols and allegory in expressing its concerns. The paper contends that Song of Lawino utilizes symbols in communicating its concerns and at the same time the work can be read as a parable. The author identifies the various types of symbols and their relevance in expressing themes. In addition, the paper provides a parabolic reading of Okot’s work, Song of Lawino. These two lenses of studying, is hoped, will allow an in-depth study of the work

Ethnische Identitäten und „Gender-"Thematiken in der ostafrikanischen Literatur der Gegenwart

This study interrogates both long and short written prose by a distinguished sample of emergent and established writers from Kenya as a microcosm of East Africa. The sample includes both novels and short stories published in English. The region produces literature that is both written and oral. It also produces literature in vernacular language, the regional lingua franca, Kiswahili beside English. The term contemporary has been used here to denote generally the written tradition of English expression in the turn of the century (c. 1991-2011). The authors under study include: M. G. Vassanji, Binyavanga Wainaina and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor. The study conducts a critical interrogation of new works by these writers. These are: The In-Between World of Vikram Lall (2003), No New Land (1991) by Vassanji; Discovering Home (2002) by Wainaina and ‘Weight of Whispers’ (2003) by Owuor. We are interested in examining how ethnicity and gender as two major indexes of identity in East Africa today are treated in exemplary works of short and long prose. Specifically, how do these two indices, in the hands of the selected writers of note, contribute to the aesthetic and formal thematization, as well as treatment, of identity issues? The study emanates from the need to contribute to critical studies that trace the recent contours of literary writing across Africa in light of the call for appreciations of diversity within African identity discourses especially in the context of expanding ethnic and gender conflicts. Creative imagination is one of the pathways by which a people or culture presents itself to the world. It represents their internal and external environments. To study the sociology of literature is to contribute in the creation of awareness around a society and its vocal agents. This is our guiding assumption and it is rooted to the core of postcolonial studies as a discipline. The tendency to use or apply sociological parameters in the study of East African literature is well established. Owing to the multiracial and multicultural nature of the societies of the nation-states that make up the region, this is an almost natural phenomenon. These countries include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi. The first three countries, from whence comes the majority of our sample are homes to indigenous African communities and immigrant communities from South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula as well as visible communities of European descent. It these three strands of cultural heritage that make the composite core of East African identity as a region. Naturally, a study of diverse writers and genres such as this one will rely on an eclectic but carefully selected set of theoretical practices/frameworks and methodological orientations. The study draws from gender studies, postcolonialism and aspects of narratology in a research-based attempt to provide across seven chapters a scholarly panorama of contemporary Anglophone East African literature, its formal as well as thematic idiosyncrasies. The first and last chapters offer the introduction and conclusion respectively. The remaining chapters i-between are analytical and form the body of the dissertation.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

Ideology and Subversion in Feminist Short Stories from Africa

This paper examines the oppressive nature of the patriarchal society and the Feminist voice for fair treatment of women to restore her respect and dignity. To illustrate the feminist concerns and the subversive practices, three short stories have been used namely: Tandiwe Myambo’s, “Decidious Gazelles”, Lindsey Collen’s “The Enigma”, and Ifeoma Okoye’s “The Power of a Plate of Rice”. All the three stories appear in Vera (1999).The paper exposes the challenges facing the woman in a patriarchal society. The women in the three short stories live within family units with clearly defined roles and expectations for harmonious living, but the reversal takes place. The man has usurped authority and his domineering nature is being felt both at home and at the work place. The men have accepted their superior roles, granted to them naturally by the patriarchal society. The woman finds it difficult to both accept and play the subordinate roles because of their oppressive nature. The paper will explore the plight of these women, both single and married and attempt to get into their inner lives to see the situations they face, the challenges and their struggle to liberate themselves from the oppressive patriarchal system

Transmutation and Temporality: Shifting Figures of African Women in Jennifer Makumbi’s Historical Novel Kintu (2014)

The role of African women writers in employing the unique style of presenting several generations of women characters in the same historical novel to narrate how the world of women has been transformed across time cannot be naysaid. Through this style, female authors have been able to re-examine, re-construct, re-structure and re-invent the (mis)representation of female gender as construed by male authors who were the first to acquire formal education and embark in creative writing. Thus the choice of this distinctive style often serves as an important marker of backdating the true depiction of women across the historical trajectory as well as demonstrating the gainful transmutation that women have gone through towards their liberation from the chains of patriarchy. Among the African women writers who have adopted this style is Jeniffer Makumbi the author of Kintu. Grounded in both New historicist and feminist theoretical frameworks, we interrogate how women have gradually and gainfully changed towards liberation across the four epochs specific to Africa; namely: Pre-colonial, Colonial, postcolonial and contemporary. Using purposively selected Jenniffer Makumbi’s novel – Kintu – the article provides a textual analysis of the behaviours, speeches and actions exhibited by different generations of female characters who fall within the aforementioned epochs to demonstrate their historical transmutation towards liberation