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Orality in Writing: Its Cultural and Political Function in Anglophone African, African-Caribbean, and African-Canadian Poetry

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Orality in Writing: Its Cultural and Political Function in Anglophone African, African-Caribbean, and African-Canadian Poetry ORALITY IN WRITING: ITS CULTURAL AND POLITICAL FUNCTION IN ANGLOPHONE AFRICAN, AFRICAN-CARIBBEAN, AND AFRICAN-CANADIAN POETRY A Thesis submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of English University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Yaw Adu-Gyamfi Spring 1999 © Copyright Yaw Adu-Gyamfi, 1999. All rights reserved. National Ubrary Bib!iotheque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1 A ON4 Canada Canada Your file Vol", ,eferet1C8 Our file Not,e ,life,encs The author has granted a non­ L' auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, preter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retains ownership of the L' auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permISSlOn. autorisation. 0-612-37868-3 Canada UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN College of Graduate Studies and Research SUMMARY OF DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Yaw Adu-Gyamfi Department of English Spring 1999 -EXAMINING COMMITTEE: Dr. J. S. Steeves Dean's Designate, College of Graduate Studies & Researcr. Dr. Paul Bidwell Head, Department of English Dr. Ron Cooley Department of English Dr. Carol Morrell Supervisor, Department of English Dr. Susan Gingell Department of English Dr. Anthony Harding Department of English Dr. P. Elabor-Idemudia Department of Sociology EXTERNAL EXAMINER: Dr. Leslie Sanders Department of Humanities Atkinson College, York University 4700, Keele Street Toronto, ONT., M3J 1 P3. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Professor who supervised my thesis work or, in her absence, by the Head of the Department of English or the Dean of the College of Arts and Science. It is understood that any copying, publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or in part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of English University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N OWO 11 ABSTRACT For years, critics have used Black writers' interweaving of African-derived oral textual features and European written forms to reject the concept of the Great Divide between orality and writing in literacy studies. These critics primarily see the hybridized texts of writers of African descent as a model that assists in the complex union of writing and orality. My argument is that the integrationist model is not the only way, perhaps not even the most fruitful way, to read the hybridized texts of writers of African descent. I develop a reading of Anglophone African, African-Caribbean, and African-Canadian literature that sees the synthesis of orality and writing as an emergent discourse, free of the dogmatisms of textuality and of colonial literary standards, that contributes to the cultural and political aspirations of writers of African descent. In transcribing African-derived orality into writing, Black writers emphasize the ethnic component of their African identity, thereby decolonizing their literature. Consequently, the literature functions as locus or epitome of community-created culture and counter-colonial discourse, portraying the Black writer as a self­ assertive community agent with the potential for forging a new historically informed identity. My introduction identifies the scope of the study, defining what constitutes African-derived oral textual features and outlining the critical theories that will be instrumental to my analysis. I also explain why I selected the writers Wole Soyinka (African), Edward Kamau Brathwaite, Louise Bennett (African- 111 Caribbean), Lillian Allen, Marlene Nourbese Philip, and Clifton Joseph (African­ Canadian) as examples of writers who have utilized orality in writing as pOlitical and cultural expression. Chapter One provides a background to pre-colonial African oral discourse. Chapters Two, Three, and Four respectively focus on Anglophone African, African Caribbean, and African Canadian poets' uses of orality in writing to reflect an eclectic cultural heritage. A brief conclusion follows these chapters. It reaffirms my primary thesis that the dynamic union of orality and writing in Anglophone African, African-Caribbean, and African-Canadian written poetry functions as the expression of a new kind of cultural and political discourse, in search of a new audience and a critical approach that requires both Africanist and European critical perspectives. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The success of this work is owed to many people who helped me in various ways. I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Professor Carol Morrell, whose advice, guidance, constructive suggestions, and extraordinary support at various stages of the writing made it possible for me to finish this work. Some good friends who offered me support and encouragement, thus spurring me on towards the completion of this work, also deserve special mention here. To my friends Jolly Mazimhaka, Darrell Hamm, and Mr. Kurt Tischler, I say a big thank you. Likewise, I wish to express my unmeasured gratitude to my parents and my senior brother, Dr. Kwabena Adu-Poku, for encouraging me to soar to the highest level of my academic potential. Further thanks go to the College of Graduate Studies and Research for four years of Teaching Fellowships. Finally, I thank God, the good Mother, for the strength and the good health that He provided me throughout the entire period of researching and writing this thesis. This thesis would not have come to fruition without the warm atmosphere that my wife, Adwoa, and our sons, Kwabena and Papa, provided me at home. Their love, companionship, and understanding greatly eased the tensions and the frustrations involved in producing this work. I am very grateful to you, Adwoa, Kwabena, and Papa for this gift that you gave me during the entire period of effort. I dedicate this dissertation to you, dear ones. v To Adwoa,Kwabena, Papa and my parents The most important people in my life; thanks for always being there for me. TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE ....................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ., .......................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................. iii DEDICATION .....................................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................... '" ............................. '" ................... vi INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER ONE: African-Derived Oral Literature: A Background .................... 27 CHAPTER TWO: Writing Orality in Wale Soyinka's Poetry ............................. 53 CHAPTER TH REE: African Oral Poetics in the Poetry of Louise Bennett and .... Edward Kamau Brathwaite ............................................... 94 CHAPTER FOUR: Building Community: Survival Strategies and the New Life of Orality in African-Canadian Literature ........................... 134 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 179 WORKS CITED ............................................................................................. 184 APPENDiX ..................................................................................................... 199 INTRODUCTION As a consequence of colonialism, Anglophone writers of African descent living in Africa, the Caribbean, and Canada can be said to have a Janus-like access to both Western and African literary traditions. In this situation of double vision, writers have had to choose their mode of literary expression, and in many cases the choice has been a mixing of discourses, specifically a transcribing of peculiar African oral features into the European-derived written form. By oral features, I mean what has been appropriated into the literary tradition from the oral traditions derived from the indigenous African languages, that is the Creole, Pidgin, and Nation languages of the three regions being studied
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