African Poetry And Performance (Part One) – Spring 2022

‌Course Description:

This course involves a concentrated study of poetry in, from, and about Africa; their experiences in economic, political, religious, and other colonial stressed areas, their culture and tradition, their atmosphere and environment, and their sovereign cum post-independent lives. Learning will be chained from Africa’s Oral traditional poetry/chants, through modern African poetry and the new generation of African poetry. Students will have a master class from guest published poets on “The Art of Writing Publishable Poetry”.

African performance poetry will be foregrounded at the tail-end of the module, an introduction to part two of the course (African performance poetry).

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, students will:

1. Be able to classify the different phases African Poetry has evolved
2. have a mastery of writing good and publishable poetry
3. Be primed at writing poetry that addresses African political, economic and cultural matters and
4. Use poetry as a tool for change in self and community.