The Language of African Literature

Abstract

Talking enthusiastically about her visit to Europe, a leading African woman in South Africa said to a group of listeners a few years ago, "The role of the woman in Europe fascinated me so much that I wanted to write more about it to you folks at home. I wished I could write with all my ten fingers." The last phrase was an invention, unlike the number of African proverbs she so often put over in English during her public speeches, such as "no hand can wash itself properly," which was intended to exhort the listeners to unity.