A gloss on perspectives for the study of African literature versus Greek and oriental traditions

Abstract

As in African literature in general, most African children’s literature exhibits what Richard van Leeuwen calls “a broad network of texts” and “an amalgam of types of stories.”1 This is of course expected given the usual interaction be- tween written and oral traditions in African literature, the former pointing to European cultures accompanying imperial projects. Modern African literature is essentially hybrid to the extent that it incorporates both European and Afri- can literary traditions. It is therefore born from a confluence of cultures.