LITERATURE AS CELEBRATION: THE ZULU (EMPEROR SHAKA) AND MANDINGO (SUNDIATA) EPIC
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2078-9785/2781Abstract
The relationship between literature and society has long been recognised. In light of this, African literature is viewed as partly a celebration and partly an expression of African values. Literature set in the past is to some degree seen as an attempt to unearth, convey and uphold socio-economic, political and religious values of the time. Using the Afrocentricity theory and epic texts, Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali (Niane, 1965) and Emperor Shaka the Great: A Zulu Epic (Kunene, 1979), the article posits that a study of such epic texts indeed offers a glimpse of the people’s philosophy of life and their values.Metrics
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