Nation-building, propaganda, and literature in Francophone Africa

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Bibliographic Information

Nation-building, propaganda, and literature in Francophone Africa

Dominic Thomas

Indiana University Press, c2002

  • : pbk

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Note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Contents of Works

  • Introduction: engineering history and engineering literature
  • Official writers: the engineers of the Congolese soul
  • Sony Labou Tansi: commitment, oppositionality, and resistance
  • Henri Lopes: collaboration, confession, and testimony
  • Emmanuel Dongala: history, memory, and reconciliation
  • National conferences and media decentralization in Francophone Africa

Description and Table of Contents

Description

What characterizes the relationship between literature and the state? Should literature serve the needs of the state by constructing national consciousness, espousing state propaganda, and molding good citizens? Or should it be dedicated to a different kind of creative social endeavor? In this important book about literature and the politics of nation-building, Dominic Thomas assesses the contributions of Francophone African writers whose works have played a key role in the recent transition to democracy in the Congo. Exploring the works of Sony Labou Tansi, Henri Lopes, and Emmanuel Dongala, among others, Thomas highlights writers intimately involved with government and politics-whether in support of the state's vision or with the intention of articulating a more open view of citizens and society. Focusing on themes such as collaboration, reconciliation, identity, history, and memory, Nation-Building, Propaganda, and Literature in Francophone Africa elaborates a broader understanding of the circumstances of African colonization, modern African nation-state formation, and the complex cultural dynamics at work in Africa since independence.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Table of Contents: Preface and Acknowledgments Note on Translations List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 1. Introduction: Engineering History and Engineering Literature 2. Official Writers: The Engineers of the Congolese Soul 3. Sony Labou Tansi: Commitment, Oppositionality and Resistance 4. Henri Lopes: Collaboration, Confession and Testimony 5. Emmanuel Dongala: History, Memory and Reconciliation 6. National Conferences and Media Decentralization in Francophone Africa Notes Bibliography Index

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