Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

ian literature is literature from Cameroon, which includes literature in French, English and indigenous languages.

Overview

Colonial-era writers such as

Louis-Marie Pouka Louis-Marie Pouka was a Cameroonian poet who advocated the Cultural assimilation, assimilation of Cameroonian peoples into French culture. Pouka believed that colonialism was part of God's plan to bring African peoples into the wider world. His be ...

and

Sankie Maimo Sankie Maimo (1930 – 4 September 2013) was a writer from British Southern Cameroons. Maimo moved to Ibadan, Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Fed ...

were educated by European missionary societies and advocated

assimilation Assimilation may refer to: Culture *Cultural assimilation, the process whereby a minority group gradually adapts to the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture and customs **Language shift, also known as language assimilation, the progre ...

into European culture as the means to bring Cameroon into the modern world. Jean-Louis Njemba Medu was a pioneering writer who published the science fiction novel '' Nnanga Kon'' in the

Bulu language Bulu is a Bantu language of the Bulu people of Cameroon. The language had 174,000 native speakers in 1982, with some 800,000 second language speakers in 1991. Its dialects include Bene, Yelinda, Yembana, Yengono, and Zaman. Bulu was formerly use ...

as early as 1932. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, writers such as

Mongo Beti Alexandre Biyidi Awala (30 June 1932 – 8 October 2001), known as Mongo Beti or Eza Boto, was a Cameroonian writer. Beti spent much of his life in France, studying at the Sorbonne and becoming a professor at Lycée Pierre Corneille. Life ...

and

Ferdinand Oyono Ferdinand Léopold Oyono (14 September 1929 – 10 June 2010
''Jeune ...

analysed and criticised colonialism and rejected assimilation. Other older generation writers include

Guillaume Oyônô Mbia Guillaume Oyônô Mbia (2 March 1939 – 10 April 2021) was a Cameroonian writer. An Anglicist, he also taught at the University of Yaoundé. Biography Mbia was born in 1939 in Zoétélé in Cameroon's South Region (Cameroon), South Region. He fi ...

, Mbella Sonne Dipoko,

Francis Bebey Francis Bebey (, 15 July 1929 in Douala, Cameroon – 28 May 2001 in Paris, France) was a Cameroonian writer and composer. Early life Francis Bebey was born in Douala, Cameroon, on 15 July 1929. Bebey attended college in Douala, where he studied ...

René Philombé René Philombé (René Philombe), pen name of Philippe Louis Ombedé (13 November 1930 – 25 October 2001), born in the city of Ngaoundere, was a Cameroonian writer, journalist, poet, novelist, and playwright who mostly wrote in French. He was ...

and kenjo Jumbam. Some critically acclaimed writers include

Marcien Towa Marcien Towa (January 5, 1931 – July 2, 2014) was a Cameroonian philosopher. He is considered one of the icons of African philosophy in the twentieth century. References 1931 births 2014 deaths African philosophers People from Centre ...

, Imbolo Mbue,

Patrice Nganang Alain Patrice Nganang (born 1970) is an American writer, poet and teacher of Cameroonian origin, a member of the Bamileke people. He was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and was educated in Cameroon and Germany. He was awarded a Ph.D. in comparative l ...

Calixthe Beyala Calixthe Beyala (born 1961) is a Cameroonian-French writer who writes in French. Biography A Cameroonian author and member of the Eton people, Calixthe Beyala was born in Sa'a to Cameroonian parents. Her aunt and grandmother were particula ...

Bate Besong Bate Besong (1954–2007) was a Cameroonian playwright, poet and critic, who was described by Pierre Fandio as “one of the most representative and regular writers of what might be referred to as the second generation of the emergent Cameroonian ...

Gaston-Paul Effa Gaston-Paul Effa (born 1965, Yaoundé) is a writer from Lorraine of Cameroonian origin, also a professor of philosophy. He came to France to attend secondary school at the in Strasbourg, then studied theology and philosophy at the university. ...

Werewere Liking Werewere Liking (born 1950, in Cameroon) is a writer, playwright and performer based in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. She established the Ki-Yi Mbock theatre troupe in 1980 and founded the Ki-Yi village in 1985 for the artistic education of young pe ...

, Ba'bila Mutia,

John Nkemngong Nkengasong John Ngosong Nkemngong Nkengasong (born 1959) is a Cameroonian playwright, novelist, poet and scholar. He is often referred to as a "radical visionary" of Anglophone Cameroon and an “ardent upholder of innovative creativity and crusader for the ...

, Bole Butake,

Leonora Miano Leonora or Leonara may refer to: People *Leonora (given name), a feminine given name *Leonora of Castile (disambiguation) *Leonora of England (1162–1216), Queen of Castile and Toledo as wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile *Leonora (singer) (born 199 ...

, Francis B Nyamnjoh and

Linus T. Asong Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who di ...

. In 2014, Imbolo Mbue signed a million dollar deal with

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

for her debut manuscript. The novel titled ''

Behold the Dreamers ''Behold the Dreamers'' is a 2016 debut novel by Imbolo Mbue. The novel details the experiences of two New York City families during the 2008 financial crisis: an immigrant family from Cameroon, the Jonga family, and their wealthy employers, th ...

'' follows the travails of a Cameroonian immigrant and a

Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. ( ) was an American global financial services firm founded in 1847. Before Bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, filing for bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States (behind Gol ...

executive during the 2008 financial crisis.

Literary awards

International and bilingual English-and-French literary prizes, Grand Prix of Literary Associations (GPLA), were launched in Cameroon in 2013, and are to date the main literary awards in Cameroon. They have already contributed to unveil or confirm many gifted authors, such as

Eric Mendi The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse languag ...

, twice winner in the Belles-Lettres Category, Charles Salé,

Fiston Mwanza Mujila Fiston Nasser Mwanza Mujila (born 1981, in Lubumbashi) is a Congolese writer. He lives in Graz, Austria, where he teaches African literature. Biography Fiston Mwanza Mujila was the recipient of the gold medal for literature at the 2009 Franc ...

Felwine Sarr Felwine Sarr (born 11 September 1972) is a Senegalese academic, musician and writer of novels and cultural essays, born in Sine Saloum, Niodior Arrondissement. He studied economics and taught this subject at the Gaston Berger University (Seneg ...

, to name a few. The GPLA also pay tribute to deceased authors through the ''Grand prix de la mémoire'', which was awarded to late Cameroonian author

in the last edition (GPLA 2016).Source
Bamendaonline
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Footnotes

References and further reading

* Pierre Fandio, ''La littérature camerounaise dans le champ social : grandeurs, misères et défis'', l'Harmattan, Paris, Budapest, Kinshasa, 2006, 244 p. * Pierre Fandio, ''Les lieux incertains du champ littéraire camerounais : la postcolonie à partir de la marge'', l'Harmattan, Paris, 2012, 273 p. *Shadrack Ambanasom, ''Education of the Deprived: A Study of Four Cameroonian Playwrights''. Yaounde: Yaounde University Press, 2003. *Shadrack Ambanasom, ''The Cameroon Novel of English Expression: An Introduction''. Bamenda; Agwecam, 2007. *Hilarious Ambe, ''Change Aesthetics in Anglophone Cameroon Drama and Theatre''.Bayreuth African Studies 2007. *Joyce B Ashuntantang, ''Landscaping Postcoloniality:The Dissemination of Cameroon Anglophone Literature''. Bamenda; Langaa RPCIG, 2009. *Oscar C Labang, ''ImagiNation:Theorizing the Nation in Postcolonial Anglophone Cameroon Poetry''. Yaounde; Miraclaire Academic Publications, 2012.

External links

Cameroon Literature in English – Vibrant but Invisible
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Overview

Literary awards

See also

Footnotes

References and further reading

External links