Afro-Asian Literature and David Diop Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on Afro-Asian literature concepts, African oral traditions, colonial themes, and key figures of the Negritude movement like David Diop.

Afro-Asian Literature

Literary works that come from, represent, or are influenced by the cultures, histories, experiences, and perspectives of African and Asian peoples.

Colonialism

A condition occurring when a powerful country establishes control over another territory and its people, often involving political control, economic exploitation, cultural domination, and suppression of local traditions.

African Literature

Literary works produced by African writers or works that represent African experiences, cultures, histories, and perspectives.

Oral Literature

Stories and traditions passed from generation to generation through speech and performance, including folktales, myths, legends, proverbs, songs, chants, praise poetry, epics, and riddles.

Written Literature

Literary works recorded in written form, including poetry, novels, plays, essays, and short stories.

Storyteller (African Oral Tradition)

A member of the community who serves not simply as an entertainer, but as a teacher, historian, and cultural keeper passing knowledge, morality, and history from elders to younger generations.

David Diop

A French-Senegalese poet and writer (1927–1960) born in Bordeaux, France, whose works focused strongly on African identity and the experience of colonialism, and were associated with the Negritude movement.

Negritude Movement

A 1930s literary and political awakening created by French-speaking Black writers in Paris that rejected French colonial rule and the pressure to act white.

Aimé Césaire

A Martinican poet, writer, and politician who was one of the founders of the Negritude movement.

Léopold Sédar Senghor

A Senegalese poet and statesman who helped develop the Negritude movement.

Léon-Gontran Damas

A French Guianese poet and one of the early founders of the Negritude movement.