The development of exilic poetry in Anglophone West Africa

Authors

  • Henri Oripeloye Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/tvl.v52i1.11

Keywords:

alienation, Anglophone West Africa, exile, exilic poetry, migration

Abstract

The nineteenth century was a period of migration that was perpetuated by the socio-political and economic instability in the continent; this caused the decline in the quality of life which had forced many people to go on exile. This study provides insights into the development of exilic poetry in Anglophone West Africa to show that exilic literature is not an accidental product; it grows out of the sordid social, political and economic realities in the sub-region. The contemporary development in exilic literary discourse  in Anglophone West Africa indicates a radical shift in vision which is informed by the need to use this literature as a writing-back strategy. We have also discovered in this study that exilic literature in Anglophone West Africa has grown from the simple narration of personal feelings to become a radical ideology for re-ordering of human relations. Moreover, this study shows that there is a wide range of forms emerging from exilic literary experience in Anglophone West Africa in the explication of personal feelings, nostalgia, alienation, political and socio-cultural disruptions.

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Author Biography

  • Henri Oripeloye, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

    Henri Oripeloye teaches literature in the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. His area of research includes Modern African Poetry, Cultural Studies and Life Writing.

References

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Published

2015-04-01

Issue

Section

Research articles

How to Cite

Oripeloye, H. (2015). The development of exilic poetry in Anglophone West Africa. Tydskrif Vir Letterkunde, 52(1), 155-167. https://doi.org/10.4314/tvl.v52i1.11