Postcolonial Criticism

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POSTCOLONIALISM
21st Century Literature Week 5

21st Century Literature Week 6 2
OBJECTIVES
1. Define postcolonialism as a literary approach
2. Understand the key ideas of post colonialism as a
literary approach highlighting historical and
sociocultural contexts
3. Analyze text emphasizing historical and sociocultural
contexts
3
Are you familiar with

the continent of Africa?
AFRICA
• came from the Latin word
“aprica”(sunny), Berber word
“ifri”(cave dweller)
• 2nd largest continent with an
area of 30,244,049 square km
• 2nd most populous continent
(approx. 1.4 billion people)
• has 54 independent countries
• called as “Dark Continent” by
Europeans
AFRICA 5
NELSON MANDELA
(President of South
Africa)
MIA COUTO
(Poetry Writer)
ZOZIBINI TUNZI
(Miss Universe 2019)
CHANIQUE RABE
(Miss Supranational
2021)
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BARACK OBAMA
(44th President of
USA) ELON MUSK
(CEO of SpaceX)
MARTIN LUTHER
KING, JR.
OPRAH WINFREY (Civil Rights
(TV Personality) Movement Leader)
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POST-COLONIAL CRITICISM
 examines literature written in English by writers
from or in formerly colonized countries.
 it may also examine literature produced in or by
nationals of colonizing nations that is concerned
with colonies or their inhabitants
POST-COLONIAL LITERARY CRITICISM
The following are assumed to be present and primarily the context
of the literary piece.
 First-world countries dominate and subject less powerful

third-world countries to their ruling.
 Colonizers imposed changes in beliefs and practices on the
colonized.
 Subjection resulted in long years of slavery and rampant abuse
of rights.
 Identity and heritage of the third world are threatened.
 Clamor for equality and justice becomes prevalent and
revolution is foreseen for subjugation to end.
•
WHAT POSTCOLONIAL CRITICS DO
 Reject claims of universalism

 Examine representation of other cultures
 Show how literature is silent on matters of
colonialism
 Focus on relationships between colonizers and
colonized people in literary texts.
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AFRICA
By David Diop
LITERARY QUESTIONS
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1. At times title contains details from the literary text. What might
the poem be all about?
2. Who is the speaker of the poem? How can the persona be described?
3. Who might possibly be the readers to whom this piece is directed?
4. What feelings arose while reading the poem? What might possibly
cause the triumphal feeling of the persona?
5. Considering the time and place of the poem, what issues or
situations might have prompted the author to write the poem?
AFRICA 13
David Diop
1
Africa my Africa
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Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs
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Africa of whom my grandmother sings
Diop expresses his love for Africa. He is aware of his lineage and
became familiar with the glorious past of his nation from the tales his
grandmother used to tell. No matter how colonizers see his country, he
still takes pride in being an African.
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4
On the banks of the distant river
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I have never known you
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But your blood flows in my veins
The speaker has never known Africa, having lived in France, but he is
aware of the African “blood” gushing through his veins.
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7
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
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The blood of your sweat
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The sweat of your work
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The work of your slavery
In these lines, Diop addresses Africa as a human being representing

all colonized Africans who irrigated fields for their white masters by
putting in back-breaking labor. The colonizers and their superiority
complex subjugated them and their culture.
Africa, tell me Africa
11 16
12
Is this your back that is unbent
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This back that never breaks under the weight of humiliation
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This back trembling with red scars
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And saying no to the whip under the midday sun
The speaker asks her a rhetorical question. He says whether her back is
unbent under gruesome torture. Through this line, the speaker refers to the
slaves carrying the burden of lifelong “humiliation” on their back sored “with red
scars”. Their “whip”, an instrument of torture, was brought down upon them
frequently to punish them for not meeting their disproportionate demands.
Despite the pain and suffering, Africa will not fear to fight back.
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But a grave voice answers me While the speaker thinks about 17
Africa’s pain under colonial rule, a

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Impetuous child that tree, young
voice reaches out to him. She points
and strong towards a tree, “young and strong”,
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That tree over there standing “amidst white and faded
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Splendidly alone amidst white andflowers”, to say that it is the Africa he
faded flowers is searching for. Like a tree, Africa
will grow slowly but steadily.The
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That is your Africa springing up fruits of the tree represent Africans
anew who will slowly cultivate a sense of
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springing up patiently, obstinately nationalism, black consciousness,
and, most importantly, liberty within
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Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
their hearts.
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The bitter taste of liberty.
Considering the time and place of the poem, there could be 18
sociocultural contexts that possibly influenced the writing of

the poem. Can you identify the stanza with which the
following concepts can be associated? Briefly explain the
relevance.
A. B.
COLONIZERS COLONIZED
C. SLAVERY
D. E. JUSTICE
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a country that sends settlers to a place

A. and establishes political control over it
COLONIZERS a country or people controlled by the

B. colonizers
COLONIZED a person who is owned by another person

C. SLAVERY and is forced to work for and obey them
D. the action of subjecting a country or

person to one's control
SUBJECTION
E. JUSTICE the fair treatment of people
Answer the following questions:
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1. At times title contains details from the literary text. What might
the poem be all about?
2. Who is the speaker of the poem? How can the persona be described?
3. Who might possibly be the readers to whom this piece is directed?
4. What feelings arose while reading the poem? What might possibly
cause the triumphal feeling of the persona?
5. Considering the time and place of the poem, what issues or
situations might have prompted the author to write the poem?

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21st Century Literature Week 5

Are you familiar with

 First-world countries dominate and subject less powerful

 Reject claims of universalism

In these lines, Diop addresses Africa as a human being representing

Africa’s pain under colonial rule, a

sociocultural contexts that possibly influenced the writing of

a country that sends settlers to a place

COLONIZERS a country or people controlled by the

COLONIZED a person who is owned by another person

D. the action of subjecting a country or

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