Task A

Outline the speaker's views of Africa

(Comprehension) (12 Punkte)

Analyse how the speaker's views are presented. Focus on structure, use of language and poetic devices.

(Analysis) (16 Punkte)

Choose one of the following tasks:

3.1

Assess to what extent Igbinedion's poem can be seen as a comment on social and political realities in Nigeria today.

(Evaluation: comment) (14 Punkte)

3.2

For the project course "Africa rising - Africa's role in a globalised world" you have been asked to write an article for the course's website. You decided to take a quote by the African Kumi Naidoo, the former Secretary General of Amnesty International and Executive Director of Greenpeace International, as a starting point: "Economic growth is not sustainable without social and environmental justice."
Write the article, taking into account economic, ecological and political issues of globalisation.

(Evaluation: re-creation of text) (14 Punkte)

Zitat: Africa Renewal Online, "We need a sustainable path for. our future"
https://www.un.org/africarenwal/web-features/%E2%80%98we-need-sustainable-path-our-future%E2%80%99 (Zugriff: 11.06.2020)

Text:
Osayande Igbinedion, AFRICA

Osayande Igbinedion is a male poet from Nigeria.

Africa, my Africa,

Africa my motherland,

Africa the land of the black race,

Torn in a conflict

Africa of high and low lands,

Africa of thick forest and shrubs,

Africa in which abound many rivers,

And natural wealth

Bountiful and splendid

Africa, my Africa,

A race, struggling within

For a place in the sky;

Whither do you go now?

When the white race

Had lunged upon you

A cloud overshadowed you,

In a wave of cultures

Like the mighty roars of the Atlantic

Across the beaches of Lagos.

You were torn appart,

Body and soul,

In bits of disgusting rags...

When believers and ministers of imported religions

Go back to their african roots

You are an edifice of tattered cloths

When teachers and students of white knowledge

Go up and down in the mystery of the same

You are an effigy of the past.

When the series of the western trials

Have failed us as we have failed them.

You are in chaos.

When orthodox medicine swallowed tradomedics

Struggling to re-emerge.

You strangulate between them.

When laws are turned upside down

And jungle justice and witchcraft reign.

You too are turned to rags

Metaphysical science still

Has a place in our wars.

When tradition goes on

In the presence of a foreign marriage.

You are in a great confusion.

Africa, my Africa,

Africa, my fatherland,

Africa of past proud warriors,

Africa then and now,

Africa of the black race,

Torn in conflict

Knowing not how to mend the rags.

And now, arise, Africa!

Wake up from your slumber, Africa!

You either be up or down the ladder

The present midway takes your breath.

(273 words)

Osayande Igbinedion: Arica, in: GMT Emezue (ed.), New Voices. A Collection of Recent Nigerian Poetry, Oxford: Handel 2008, pp. 135-137

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Note:
Our solutions are listed in key points. In the examination, full marks can only be achieved by writing a continuous text.

Osayande Igbinedions’s peom was published in 2008
speaker in the poem outlines the current situation in Africa
he futhermore explains the causes of this situation and what needs to be done

Short introduction with referring to the source

the speaker presents Africa as beautiful continent with full of various landscapes
he, however, also depicts Africa as chaotic due to multiple and often contradictory influences
he attributes the ongoing situation to the colonisation of africa
the speaker portrays the continent as cleaved between culture and race
African traditions and western influences are blended in areas such as e.g. medicine and religion
The attempt to find a consensus between these opposing influences results in African countries developing less and risking regression due to stagnation.
In the end, Africa must inevitably choose a side, as it cannot remain torn apart.

Main part:
Africa's situation, reasons and consequence

both linguistic and poetic devices are used to underline the speaker's attachment and concern for Africa
the disorientation of the continent is the focus here
through the structure of the poem, the appeal in the last round is particularly emphasised

Introduction

the poem is introduced at the end of the first stanza with a question “Wither do you go now?” (l. 13)
this question is answered by the speaker in his final appeal in the last stanza
there, two imperative highlight the urgency of the need for change
the author has also emphasised the stanza visually, by indenting it

Structure

the author primarily uses personal pronouns and possessive determiners in the first and second person to address Africa "my Africa" (l. 1), "my motherland" (l. 2)
the word "Africa" is repeated numerous times and is often used as an anaphora at the beginning of a sentence
his identification and deep connection with the continent is made clear and underlined (e.g. l. 1-7 and 43-47)
the author personifies Africa by describing it as consisting of a "body and soul" that is torn apart

it is also striking that the author uses strong terms from the semantic field of struggle and chaos and repeats them (e.g. "struggling" (l. 11, 33) or "torn in conflict" (l. 4, 48)
descriptions of the prevailing "chaos" (l. 31) and "wars" (l. 39) symbolise the terrible situation in Africa and underline the author's concern for the continent

the speaker uses metaphors of the white race coming as a "cloud" (l. 16) or as an Atlantic "wave of cultures" (l. 17) over Africa and threatening to crush it, which once more emphasizes his concern and the horror for Africa
white influences collide with African traditions and cause the aforementioned struggle and chaos
by juxtaposing strong contrasts, he underlines the problem of the incompatibility of these "imported religions" (l. 23) with "african roots" (l. 24)
the "black race" (l. 3) is opposed to the "white race" (l. 14) "struggling within" (l. 11)

the author dispenses with the rhyme scheme and rhythm to convey a kind of disorientation in which Africa finds itself
stanzas and lines are of unequal length and occasionally punctuation marks are missing (e.g. l. 37)

Use of language

in conclusion, it can be stated that linguistics, poetic stylistic devices and structure have been used to show the current situation, the reasons for stagnation and the continuing confusion and disruption
the final appeal also underlines the speaker's concern for the continent with which he or she identifies

Conclusion

3.1

in the poem "Africa", the speaker addresses the current difficult situation of the continent, which is shaped by a colonial past
even today, colonialism and its effects continue to tear Africa apart
accordingly, the speaker urges Africa no longer to try to achieve unity between African and Western influences but to start a new beginning
in the following, it will be evaluated whether this message can be equally applied to Nigeria
today's, as well as past realities in Nigeria, are taken into account and form the basis

Introduction with reference to the poem and task

the effects of Nigeria's past as a British colony are still visible today in politics, language, and beliefs
after independence, the country was divided into three geographical regions controlled by different ethnic groups
the clash of ethnic groups often ended in bloody battles
the country has suffered from political instability since independence
a continuous alternation of democratic and military rule characterizes the political situation
for example, the high rate of corruption among politicians and economists hinders the country's social and economic development due to deterred investors

Main part:
colonial past
unstable politics
corruption

introduction of Christianity by white colonialists
social division due to religious differences and disagreements
violent and bloody clashes due to interreligious conflicts

religious inconsistencies

not only religious but also social divisions between rich and poor characterize Nigeria
low educational opportunities and no possibility of regular school attendance for children of the unprivileged, which goes hand in hand with child labour
perpetual social division in which girls, in particular, are even more disadvantaged than boys
English was also brought to Nigeria by colonialism
use of English language frequently by musicians and writers

poverty vs. wealth
language

it can be concluded that many of Nigeria's problems stem from its time as a colony (colony for a whole century; independent for about 70 years)
the demand for a middle way between African and Western traditions and influences seems plausible
however, it should not be ignored that both influences are so deeply rooted in the society that a "simple" middle way is unlikely to be a solution

Conclusion

3.2

Kumi Naidoo, the former secretary-general of Amnesty International and executive director of Greenpeace International, once said: “Economic growth is not sustainable without social and environmental justice.”
the simplicity and obviousness of this statement is regrettably not matched by its feasibility
even if no one would disagree with him, the actions of implementation are lacking

Introduction and reference to quote

the conditions for the economic growth that Africa is striving for are optimal
rich in resources such as arable land, oil, rare earths and the sun
rich in labour, which is unfortunately still exploited at present to make use of the country's wealth
increasing tourism due to diverse and impressive landscapes and rich wildlife
the use of these resources often neglects environmental and social sustainability

Main part:
africa's economic condition

international companies use valuable resources of the country, such as oil, not to strengthen the country economically or to invest, but to make private profits
thus, the social gap between rich and poor is constantly widening
often the low ecological standards are exploited to save money
investments such as expansions of local infrastructures or social aid are usually not made
on the contrary, there is even more destruction and pollution of the environment in these countries, such as deforestation of rainforests or oil spills

exploitation of large companies in the countries and its low standards

both international and national companies have a responsibility that is regrettably continuously neglected
companies ought to support regions and not just profiting from their riches
as well as fight corruption
and futhermore invest in education and medical infrastructure

responsibility of national and international companies

ultimately, ecological responsibility is grossly neglected
boundless social and ecological injustices and enormous environmental pollution prevail
Naidoo's statement hits the nail on the head, alternative to social and ecological sustainability
we are all responsible because, in the end, we will all pay the price

Conclusion

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Task A

Text: Osayande Igbinedion, AFRICA

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Text:
Osayande Igbinedion, AFRICA