What’s particularly noteworthy is that most of these authors of children’s books in this period were women. From the mid-1960s onwards, publishing houses began a concerted effort to produce such literature. Publishers and African writers were quick to realise the gap in the market for literature that was suitable for a new generation growing up in independence. This, according to Kenyan publisher Henry Chakava, was producingĪ new breed of black Europeans, who began to despise their own skin and background. One of Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiongo’s most stringent criticisms of colonialism was the explosive effect of this “cultural bomb” in the classroom, as missionaries taught African students western cultures and foreign histories. Most children’s books on the market were dominated by European writers like Enid Blyton. As independence from British colonial rule swept across East Africa in the early 1960s and freedom was won in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, parents and teachers worried about what their children were reading.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |