ALT 26 War in African Literature Today (African Literature Today, 26)

Since the second half of the twentieth century, no single phenomenon has marred the image and development of Africa more than senseless fratricidal wars which rapidly followed the political independence of nations. This issue of African Literature Today is devoted to studies of how African writers, as historical witnesses, have handled the recreation of war as a cataclysmic phenomenon in various locations on the continent. The contributors explore the subject from a variety of perspectives: panoramic, regional, national and through comparative studies. War has enriched contemporary African literature, but at what price to human lives, peace and the environment? ERNEST EMENYONU is Professor of the Department of Africana Studies University of Michigan-Flint. The contributors include: CHIMALUM NWANKWO, CHRISTINE MATZKE, CLEMENT A. OKAFOR, INIBONG I. UKO, OIKE MACHIKO, SOPHIE OGWUDE, MAURICE TAONEZVI VAMBE, ZOE NORRIDGE and ISIDORE DIALA. Nigeria: HEBN CONTENTS 8 NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS 11 EDITORIAL ARTICLE: War in African Literature: Literary Harvests, Human Tragedies 12 ARTICLES 16 The Muted Index of War in African Literature & Society 16 ‘Life in the Camp of the Enemy’ Alemseged Tesfai’s Theatre of War 30 Sacrifice & the Contestation of Identity in Chukwuemeka Ike’s Sunset at Dawn 48 Of War & Madness: A Symbolic Transmutation of the Nigeria–Biafra War in Select Stories from The Insider: Stories of War & Peace from Nigeria 64 Becoming a Feminist Writer: Representations of the Subaltern in Buchi Emecheta’s Destination Biafra 75 Politics & Human Rights in Non-Fiction Prison Literature 86 Problems of Representing the Zimbabwean War of Liberation in Mutasa’s The Contact, Samupindi’s Pawns & Vera’s The Stone Virgins 102 The Need to Go Further? Dedication & Distance in the War Narratives of Alexandra Fuller & Alexander Kanengoni 118 History, Memoir & a Soldier’s Conscience Philip Efiong’s Nigeria & Biafra: My Story 127 Of the Versification of Pain: Nigerian Civil War Poetry 143 REVIEWS 152 Aniceti Kitereza, Mr. Myombekere & his Wife Bugonoka, their Son Ntulanalwo & Daughter Buliwhali: The Story of an Ancient African Community. Translated by Gabriel Ruhumbika 152 Ahmadou Kourouma, Waiting for the Wild Beasts to Vote, Translated from the French by Frank Wynne 154 Daniel Mengara, Mema 156 Shimmer Chinodya, Chairman of Fools 157 Chris Abani, Graceland 159 Uzodinma Iweala, Beasts of No Nation 160 Woeli A. Dekutsey & John Sackey (eds), An Anthology of Contemporary Ghanaian Poems 163 Tayo Olafioye, A Stroke of Hope 165 Lola Shoneyin, So All the Time I Was Sitting on an Egg 169 Es’kia Mphahlele, Down Second Avenue 171 Véronique Tadjo, The Shadow of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda. Translated from French by Véronique Wakerley. 172 Phanuel Akubueze Egejuru, Chinua Achebe: Pure and Simple, An Oral Biography 173 Pietro Deandrea, Fertile Crossings: Metamorphoses of Genre in Anglophone West African Literature 176 Alain Ricard, The Languages & Literatures of Africa 177 Ola Rotimi, ed. Issues in African Theatre 179 Flora Veit-Wild & Dirk Naguschewski (eds) Body, Sexuality, and Gender: Versions and Subversions in African Literatures 1, Matatu 29-30 181 Short Notices from the Editor of the Reviews Section 183 INDEX 186 War in African literature: literary harvests, human tragedies / Ernest N. Emenyonu. - The muted index of war in African literature & society / Chimalum Nwankwo. - 'Life in the camp of the enemy': Alemseged Tesfai's theatre of war / Christine Matzke. - Sacrifice & contestation of identity in Chukwuemeka Ike's Sunset at Dawn / Clement A. Okafor. - Of war & madness: a symbolic transmutation of the Nigeria-Biafra war in select stories in The Insider: Stories of War & Peace from Nigeria / Iniobong I. Uko. - Becoming a feminist writer: representation of the subaltern in Buchi Emecheta's Destination Biafra / Oike Machiko. - Politics & human rights in non-fiction prison literature / Sophie Obiajulu Ogwude. - Problems of representing the Zimbabwean war of liberation in Mutasa's The Contract, Samupindi's Pawns & Vera's The Stone Virgins / Maurice Taonezvi Vambe. - The need to go further? Dedication & distance in the war narratives of Alexandra Fuller & Alexander Kanengoni / Zoe Norridge. - History, memoir & a soldier's conscience: Philip Efiong's Nigeria & Biafra: My Story / Isidore Diala. - Of the versification of pain: Nigerian Civil War poetry / Ogaga Okuyade How have African writers addressed the issue of war and its impact across the continent? Since the second half of the twentieth century, no single phenomenon has marred the image and development of Africa more than senseless fratricidal wars which rapidly followed the political independence of nations. This issue ofAfrican Literature Today is devoted to studies of how African writers, as historical witnesses, have handled the recreation of war as a cataclysmic phenomenon in various locations on the continent. The contributors explore the subject from a variety of perspectives: panoramic, regional, national and through comparative studies. War has enriched contemporary African literature, but at what price to human lives, peace and the environment? ERNESTEMENYONU is Professor of the Department of Africana Studies University of Michigan-Flint. The contributors include: CHIMALUM NWANKWO, CHRISTINE MATZKE, CLEMENT A. OKAFOR, INIBONG I. UKO, OIKE MACHIKO, SOPHIE OGWUDE, MAURICE TAONEZVI VAMBE, ZOE NORRIDGE and ISIDORE DIALA. Nigeria: HEBN This issue of African Literature Today is devoted to studies of how African writers, as historical witnesses, have handled the recreation of war as a cataclysmic phenomenon in various locations on the continent. The theoretical question is whether the fictionalized representation demonstrated equitable balance between socio-political messages (lessons of war) and the sanctity of art (aesthetics). Contributors have explore the subject from a variety of perspectives -- panoramic, regional, national and through comparative studies. Was has enriched contemporary African literature but at what price to human lives, peace and the environment? -- Publisher's description