REFLEXlONS SUR LA CRITIQUE LITTERAIRE

La critique litteraire, vue comme un ensemble des opinions exprimees sur des ceuvres d'art. est une tentative de comprendre l'ecriture et d'en juger la valeur en vue d'ameliorer la creation litteraire ulterieure. Cet article est le resultat de nos rejlexions sur les caracteres essentiels de methodes critiques appliquees a des ceuvres par un certain nombre d'auteurs. Les methodes critiques en question sont ['approche marxiste, l'approche psychanalytique et ['approche mythocritiqu

ECOWAS AND THE ‘NEW SCRAMBLE’ FOR AFRICA: INTERROGATING THE FRANCOPHONE/ANGLOPHONE DYNAMICS

The study interrogates the content and context of the new realities that characterise the relations between the member states of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Indeed, this contemporary form of relations has been popularized as the “new scramble” for Africa in view of the previous scrambles that have been copiously documented in literature – slavery and colonialism. However, the kernel of this study is to situate this new form of relations in the West African sub-region within the complexities of the age-long rivalry in Francophone/Anglophone narratives. It does so through an examination of the political economy of languages in determining the mode of production. In view of this, the study engages underdevelopment and dependency theory (UDT), as a mainstream development theory which views global relations as historical and dialectical processes that necessarily engender contradictions in the political economy of nations. Based on textual analysis and review, the study unearths the distortions inherent in the political economy of the Francophone/Anglophone West African countries in this “new struggle”. Findings suggest that while the French influence in West Africa is still dominant, the forces of globalization are fast contesting that supremacy. More so, the aggressive drive by the emerging economies, especially Brazil, India and China (BIC) for competitive share of the African market and resources makes this new scramble very precarious. The study concludes that the contradictions embedded in globalization will outstrip French influence in the nearest future, while recommending a more robust and inclusive engagement of all countries in the ECOWAS sub-region to maximize the gains of globalizatio

Globalising The French Language: Neo-Colonialism Or Development?

This paper is concerned with the attempt to globalize the French language in contemporary world politics, in view of competing value systems fi·om other key languages of the international society. It attempts to contextualize the philosophical trajectory of globalization which sees globalization as the homogenization of ideas, images and institutions with a view to creating a 'global culture' of norms and values acceptable among certain regional blocks. It draws its intellectual support from the French policy of assimilation which informed their colonial method during the era of balkanization of Africa, Asia, and the rest of the Third World. It adopts a critical conversational method which involves literature review, histo -empirical analysis, critical conceptual clarification and analysis, within the purview of intellectual interrogation. Findings show that the policy of assimilation adopted by the French as a fundamental colonial policy created a tension between fragmentation and integration, which still resonates in contemporary literature on neo-colonialism, albeit its developmental paradigm. The paper recommends the dissolution of this ten

LE ROLE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE DANS LE DEVENIR DU FRAN(AIS AUX PAYS ANGLOPHONES DE L' AFRIQUE

Le terme "francophonie" renvoie a 1' ensemble des pays, des gouvemements et des peuples francophones du monde ayant en commun la langue fran9aise comme langue officielle. Cela ressemble au "Commonwealth" qui represente tous les pays, gouvemements et peuples anglophones du monde mis a part les Etats-Unis d' Amerique, l'Irlande, le Pakistan et 1' Afrique du Sud. Bien que la francophonie soit une organisation internationale regroupant les pays, les gouvernements et les peuples ayant en partage la langue fran9aise comme langue officielle, elle ne se limite pas aux pays fran cop hones. Elle s' etend egalement aux pays anglophones. Cet article tente de relever les apports de la francophonie a l'essor du fran9ais dans les pays anglophones de 1' Afrique. Nous tentons d'abord d'identifier les avantages dont jouissent les pays membres de la francophonie. Puis, nous examinons les objectifs de la francophonie ainsi que le r6le de certaines de ses agences dans la realisation des dits objectifs et particulierement dans le devenir du fran9ais dans les pays anglophones de 1' Afrique. Pour conclure, nous proposons des recommandations a .!'intention des pays anglophones de 1' Afrique

L'ecrivain Comme Historien:Une Etude De Quelques Romans D'ahmadou Kourouma

This study attempts to present the novelist Kourouma as a historian. An attempt is therefore made to: (i) show how History is used in fiction, assess its value and usefulness in Literature; (ii) identify the literary strategies used to incorporate historical facts in a work of fiction; (iii)determine whether Kourouma’s novels have ideological underpinnings and (iv) determine to what extent Literature can be used to educate the society, with special reference to Kourouma’s novels. Our research focuses on Kourouma’s last three novels: En attendant le vote des bêtes sauvages (1998), Allah n’est pas obligé (2000) and Quand on refuse on dit non (2004). The study is based on two theories: Intertextuality and Marxist theories. The former, which presupposes the shaping of the meaning of texts by other texts enables one to see the interdependence of texts. Intertextuality better explains the great relatedness and similarities in the experiences of African countries with respect to their political and social life. In each of these novels, the research highlights the socio-political background of events described, followed by a critical analysis of illustrating historical facts present in each of the novels. Marxist theory, on the other hand, a sociological approach, allows one to see literary works as products of historical forces; products that can be analyzed in terms of the material conditions in which they are formed. Kourouma is not a Marxist but displays Marxist traits in the way he fights for social justice, the interest of the oppressed and the down-trodden in the society. He is sensitive to the plight of the oppressed in his novels. Marxists have negative views concerning the capitalist society. Their concern is that the upper middle classes maximize their profits at the detriment of the populace. This is similar to the denunciation of the single party system of government in Africa and the attitude of African totalitarian leaders. The methods of research are textual analysis of socio-political realities put in fiction in the three novels and thematic approach which deals with the study of themes like child-soldiers, war-lords, division and looting of Liberia, division and looting of Sierra-Leone. In the course of our research and analysis of Kourouma’s novels, we discovered that the author could be referred to as a realist and historian. If an author could be said to be a prophet, then Ahmadou Kourouma is one. He is a clairvoyant par excellence. He has unmistakably brought the Text near the political contrivances of African leaders of his time, the present and the future, generally. This study helps to fill a gap in the study of Kourouma’s works: it (1) shows the interface of Literature and History; (2) reveals the social relevance of Literature, (3) reinforces the role of Literature in the study of the relationship between Literature and History. It brings to the awareness of the readers the fact that novels contain historical artifacts considered as social products. It has broadened the horizon of African literary criticism with this holistic reading of Kourouma’s novel

POETRY AND THE NIGER DELTA ENVIRONMENT: AN ECO-CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE

Poetry of protest is not uncommon in Nigeria literary landscape. It has a direct relationship and relevance to the socio cultural institution and serves as a medium of engagement, decrying neo-colonialism, cultural imperialism, socio-economic oppression and political tyranny. This paper explored the fore-grounding of nature-poetry, especially those from the Niger delta of Nigeria. It examined how eco-poetry had brought national and international awareness to the realities of ecological imperialism and exploitation of the region. The poems that constituted the basic materials for this paper are adopted largely from selected poems and works of Niger delta poets and critics like Gabriel Okara, J.P. Clark, Obiware Ikiriko, Tanure Ojaide, Ken Saro-Wiwa and Nnimmo Bassey, etc. The theoretical framework adapted was the eco-criticism theory with interfaced with one of the characteristics of postcolonial criticism which stressed „cross-cultural interaction‟. We deduced from our findings that the wanton exploitation and negligence of the Nigerian natural environment which has helped to degrade the land and dehumanize the people of Niger delta is symptomatic of a macro-eco-cidal phenomenon, it is the microcosm of a global disaster that beset our common corporate humanit

A Sociopragmatic Study of Values of Nigerians as Exemplified in Wale Okediran's Tenants of the House: Implication for a Political Caste System

When Basil Bernstein postulated tire Deficit Hypothesis Theory, little did he know that nonverbal means of expression much more than the "code" would hell' in establis!ung the social class system which Bem; tein had intended to eradicate by formally uncot>ering it. In Nigeria, today, the concept of social class, !lluc!rmore than accepted socralnorms and practices, is celebrated and accentuated. The old idea of relat- 11gand integratmg culturally with other members of a communal Afrrcan society seems to have been lost. By scrutinizing Wale Okediran's Tenants of the House, we unravel the pragmatic features of the varius social classes rn the present political institutiOn of tire country as demonstrated by the Honorables in ·he House of Represmtatit•es, using the critical discourse analysis model. In doing this, we look beyond Itt referential end or grammatical meaning of the words to studying how para-linguistic and non-ver~ 1 expressions get sitrwtional meanings in context. The group dichotomy talked about makes aspirants 1 relatit>ely lrigha social dass members compared to where they originally belong. Tirey become oblivious f the close tre that ordinarily exists among Nigt'Tia~Js who are of the same region or state. It is culturally li;approPing how Lizzy, "a tmant of the House" could be int>olved in a plar1 to impeach her kinsman, the speaker of the House. a cotenant though of a higher social rank. We understand the importance placed on social class ratha than khrship affinity or social norms where we cons1der the rdea that the haunted speaker 1s Lizzy's close fnend. What mcessant political impeachments result in-especially when they are intkxed by polrticrans' zeal to indiscrimmately move up a higher class-are unremitting inconclusive proj- ts and uncultrmted ideologie

Towards Embedding Graphics in the Teaching of Reading and Literature in Nigeria

Though the ability to think is one of the numerous roles of the human brain (Parry and Gregory, 1998), many learner readers in Nigeria lack the required skills for creative and critical thinking necessary for interpretation during and after reading sessions. This may not be unconnected with the teacher-centred commit-to-memory-based pedagogy used by teachers. This study, therefore, foregrounds graphic organisers for the promotion of cognition and metacognitive skills in the context of teaching reading and literature in Nigeria. It concludes that embedding such interactive learning in the nation’s reading and literature curriculum will enhance visuo-spatial reasoning among learners in the country

French Studies In Nigerian Private Universities: A Case Study Of Covenant University

In Nigeria there is this restricted view that ‘French’ as a discipline has to do with just the study of French language as a means of communication. Consequently, there is usually low subscription with regard to the study of French in Nigerian Private Universities, where the school fee is relatively high. In the Federal and State Universities where the fee is low and subscription higher, most of the candidates that take up French as a programme of study, do so out of desperation. They resort to French just to be in the university. The choice of this topic is therefore largely out of a desire to contextualize ‘French studies’ as a discipline, highlight its status and challenges at Covenant University, sensitize the Nigerian public on the necessity of French studies in Nigeria by highlighting its relevance to the nation for a global impact. Furthermore, as Covenant University is poised to raise a new generation of leaders and with its present continuous drive for Innovation, Impact and Internationalization, this paper intends to disabuse the minds of Nigerians of the notion that French is merely the study of the language as a means of communication. We conclude by proffering solutions to the challenges, proposing the way forward and showing the benefits that accrue to students that study French as a discipline