The purpose of this unit is to present the history of Africa and Africans to students who have received stereotyped images of Africa and Africans through the media. The students will be required to read four novels that will not only exercise their ability to locate and discuss theme, mood, setting and plot. The students will also receive knowledge from the literature that will enable them to look at the Africans in a more positive light. This unit has been divided into two parts. The first part includes a brief history of how Britain, France and Germany influenced African tradition. Included in this section will be the names of the territories that each European power occupied in Africa, some of the contributions made by each European power and the reasons why each European power wanted to explore other lands. The second part of this unit consists of the reading of four novels. Two of the novels will be read in class. They are “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe and “Cry The Beloved Country” by Alan Paton. These two novels will prepare the students to do some independent reading. The students will be required to read “The Dark Child” by Camara Laye and “Mine Boy” by Peter Abrahams. The latter readings will move the students toward applying and associating ideas from the brief history and the first two novels into an analytical paper. The students should be able to make a statement about the feelings, beliefs, and conditions of the Africans.
(Recommended for 12th grade College English)
Key Words
Africa Colonization History African Role European Powers Novel Literature
