Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

African Languages and Societies Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in African Languages and Societies

The Significance Of John S. Mbiti's Works In The Study Of Pan-African Literature, Babacar Mbaye Sep 2018

The Significance Of John S. Mbiti's Works In The Study Of Pan-African Literature, Babacar Mbaye

Babacar Mbaye

No abstract provided.


'Listen To What You Say': Rwanda’S Postgenocide Language Policies, Lynne Tirrell Feb 2017

'Listen To What You Say': Rwanda’S Postgenocide Language Policies, Lynne Tirrell

Lynne Tirrell

Freedom of expression is considered a basic human right, and yet most countries have restrictions on speech they deem harmful. Following the genocide of the Tutsi, Rwanda passed a constitution (2003) and laws against hate speech and other forms of divisionist language (2008, 2013). Understanding how language shaped “recognition harms” that both constitute and fuel genocide also helps account for political decisions to limit “divisionist” discourse. When we speak, we make expressive commitments, which are commitments to the viability and value of ways of speaking. This article explores reasons a society would decide to say, “We don’t talk that way …


The Ethiopian Conception Of Time And Modernity, Messay Kebede Nov 2016

The Ethiopian Conception Of Time And Modernity, Messay Kebede

Messay Kebede

If there is one thing that philosophers agree upon, it is that the meaning of time is a central philosophical question. If we take the Western world as an example, there is no famous philosopher who has not investigated time. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger, to indicate the centrality of time, writes: “all ontology is rooted in the phenomenon of time correctly viewed and correctly explained.”

Likewise, according to the French philosopher Henri Bergson, the main reason that philosophical questions are difficult is because “we do not think about real time.” The fact that the question of time is very …


The Ethiopian Conception Of Time And Modernity: Amharic Version, Messay Kebede Nov 2016

The Ethiopian Conception Of Time And Modernity: Amharic Version, Messay Kebede

Messay Kebede

If there is one thing that philosophers agree upon, it is that the meaning of time is a central philosophical question. If we take the Western world as an example, there is no famous philosopher who has not investigated time. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger, to indicate the centrality of time, writes: “all ontology is rooted in the phenomenon of time correctly viewed and correctly explained.”

Likewise, according to the French philosopher Henri Bergson, the main reason that philosophical questions are difficult is because “we do not think about real time.” The fact that the question of time is very …


The Interaction Of Music And Dance In Africa, Dan Rager Dec 2015

The Interaction Of Music And Dance In Africa, Dan Rager

Dan Rager

This article examines the role of music and dance in African life and how it is intertwined with the culture. The author investigates many styles, elements and ngomas to show how they are used in daily life from the womb to the grave.

Music and other art forms are an inseparable part of African life and are culminated into everyday activities. Instrumental, singing and dance are art forms embedded in the diverse cultures of African peoples and their traditions, beliefs, values, religions and artistic expression.

According to the author, traditional arts practices can contribute to creativity, perception and understanding of …


The Aesthetic Of Revolution In The Film And Literature Of Naguib Mahfouz, Nathaniel Greenberg Jul 2014

The Aesthetic Of Revolution In The Film And Literature Of Naguib Mahfouz, Nathaniel Greenberg

Nathaniel Greenberg

In the wake of the 1952 Revolution, Egypt’s future Nobel laureate in literature devoted himself exclusively to writing for film. The Aesthetic of Revolution in the Film and Literature of Naguib Mahfouz is the first full-length study in English to examine this critical period in the author’s career and to contextualize it within the scope of post-revolutionary Egyptian politics and culture. Before returning to literature in 1959 with his post-revolutionary masterpiece Children of the Alley, Mahfouz wrote or co-wrote some twenty odd scripts, many of them among the most successful in Egyptian history. He did so at a time when …