Analysis Of Obiajunwa Wali's The Dead End Of African Literature

The concept of African literature has been very polemical. Some writers even refute its existence and regard it as a utopia due to the linguistic and content challenges. In this context, Obiajunwa Wali, through his article the Dead End of African Literature, strives to bring an answer to the question “which language should be employed in African literature?”. Wali emphasizes the lack of creativity engendered by the use of western languages and on the promotion of African ones. Indeed, he mentions, “Until these writers and their western midwives accept that any true African literature must be written in African Languages, they would be merely pursuing a dead end” (1). In this passage, He clearly considers western languages as “western midwives”; in other words, these foreign languages contribute to the production of African literature and Wali suggests that African languages should be used instead of them for the sake of authenticity and preservation of culture.
Wali structures his argument in five main points. Firstly, he points out the fact African oeuvres are judged based on English standards which governed literature for a long time now. Secondly, he shifts to the question of audience. He asserts that the use of English in African Literature creates a limited audience because the non-educated masses can barely understand the language. Then, he exhibits the motives why African languages represent the best fit for African literature. As a fourth point, he criticizes the