By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Afrobeating
  • Home
  • Music
  • Film / TV
  • News
  • Fashion
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment
Reading: Top 5 Contemporary African Writers
SUBSCRIBE
AfrobeatingAfrobeating
Aa
  • Music
  • News
  • Fashion
  • Film / TV
  • Feature
Search
  • Music
  • Sports
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Home
  • World
  • Market
  • Contact
  • Blog
© Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Afrobeating > Arts > Top 5 Contemporary African Writers
Arts

Top 5 Contemporary African Writers

malcolmsfinal
Last updated: 2020/09/25 at 7:35 AM
malcolmsfinal 4 Min Read
Share
SHARE

In a continent as ethnically and culturally diverse as Africa, it comes as no surprise that the literature that has emerged from it be equally diverse and multifaceted. Dealing with a range of social and cultural issues, from women’s rights and feminism to post-war and post-colonial identity, here are some of Africa’s best contemporary writers.

Contents
Chinua AchebeChimamanda Ngozi AdichieAyi Kwei ArmahNuruddin FarahMariama Bâ

Chinua Achebe

Chinua Achebe

One of the world’s most widely recognized and praised writers, Chinua Achebe wrote some of the most extraordinary works of the 20th century. His most famous novel, Things Fall Apart (1958).  Achebe is also a noted literary critic, particularly known for his passionate critique of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1899), in which he accuses the popular novel of rampant racism through its othering of the African continent and its people.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Born in Nigeria in 1977, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is part of a new generation of African writers taking the literary world by storm. Adichie’s works are primarily character-driven, interweaving the background of her native Nigeria and social and political events into the narrative.  Adichie’s works have been met with overwhelming praise and have been nominated for and won numerous awards, including the Orange Prize and Booker Prize.

Ayi Kwei Armah

Ayi Kwei Armah

Ayi Kwei Armah’s novels are known for their intense, powerful depictions of political devastation and social frustration in Armah’s native Ghana told from the point of view of the individual. His works were greatly influenced by French existential philosophers, such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, and as such hold themes of despair, disillusionment and irrationality. His most famous work, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1968) centers around an unnamed protagonist who attempts to understand himself and his country in the wake of post-independence.

Nuruddin Farah

Nuruddin Farah

Born in Somalia in 1945, Nuruddin Farah has written numerous plays, novels and short stories, all of which revolve around his experiences of his native country. The title of his first novel From a Crooked Rib (1970) stems from a Somalian proverb “God created woman from a crooked rib, and anyone who trieth to straighten it, breaketh it”, and is a commentary on the sufferings of women in Somalian society through the narrative of a young woman trapped in an unhappy marriage. His subsequent works feature similar social criticism, dealing with themes of war and post-colonial identity.

Mariama Bâ

Mariama Bâ

One of Africa’s most influential women authors, Mariama Bâ is known for her powerful feminist texts, which address the issues of gender inequality in her native Senegal and wider Africa. Bâ herself experienced many of the prejudices facing women: she struggled for an education against her traditional grandparents, and was left to look after her nine children after divorcing a prominent politician. Her anger and frustration at the patriarchal structures which defined her life spill over into her literature. One of her popular works is So Long A Letter (1981) 

TAGGED: African Writers, Contemporary Literature
malcolmsfinal September 25, 2020 September 25, 2020
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article African free trade To Boost manufacturing in Nigeria – NEPC
Next Article Veteran Nigerian Singer Onyeka Onwenu Reveals getting married to a Yoruba Muslim in 1984
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You Might Also Like

Arts

PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA’S INTERNATIONAL WIN.

The New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) has appointed Professor…

1 Min Read
Arts

3 MUST-VISIT ART GALLERIES IN LAGOS.

Lagos is a hot spot for trends in Nigeria and…

2 Min Read
Arts

AFRICAN BOOKS YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY READ!

These are African books I think you should read.  Children…

1 Min Read
ArtsEntertainment

Yoruba movie adaptation ‘ELESIN OBA’ makes history

A Netflix adaptation of Professor Wole Soyinka’s 'The King's Horsemen'…

1 Min Read
AfrobeatingAfrobeating
Follow US

© 2023 Afrobeating, powered by Willingie All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?