THE PROBLEM OF LITERATURE IN AFRICAN LANGUAGES AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE GLOBALIZATION DISCOURSE
A variety of writing systems have emerged in Africa over time. The best-known African writing system are ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The language forms the foundation for the mediation of culture and history. The voices of Africa have always spoken many languages. But most of them are increasingly being replaced by Latin (because of European colonization) and Arabic scripts. In almost all of sub-Saharan Africa, the Latin script is often found today. The Arabic script is mainly used in North Africa. Literature in African languages was not originally written and was therefore traditionally oral literature. It was not until the 19th century that European missionaries, travelers, researchers, colonial officials and Africanists recorded and published important elements (fairy tales, fables, myths and legends, songs, prize songs, proverbs and riddles) of African oral literature. Today, African literature is mainly distributed in European languages (French, English, Portuguese and Spanish). However, the Kenyan cultural scientist and writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o and the Senegalese writer Boubakar Boris Diop campaigned for the decolonization of African thought by publishing literary works in local languages (Ki-Suali and Wolof). The African languages are an essential means of liberation from colonial power and thought structures.
What balance can be drawn from their respective initiatives? To what extent can processes of globalization affect this? Negative or positive ? Sub-Saharan Africa is considered the loser of globalization. What are the prerequisites for the success of such a project? To what extent can e.B manifestations of Africanisms in European-language (French, English, Portuguese, Spanish and German-speaking) literatures suggest that world literature is more of a breeding ground for the global spread of African cultures?