Abstract

This study attempts to compare two main literary works. One is Niane’s Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. Another is Kunene’s Emperor Shaka the Great, a Zulu Epic. The study aims at showing how Literature mirrors society through a comparison between the protagonists in the above mentioned epics basing on their heroic characteristics each. This is a qualitative study and is basically concerned with a particular aspect of narrative which is the central character in epic literary genres. The main aim is to depict the image of human being in the world around him through M. Kunene’s Emperor Shaka the Great, A Zulu Epic J. T. Niane’s Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali. The study is framed on Campbell’s Theory of The Hero’s journey mainly because it involved the quest theme. The researcher looks at the relevance of the epic genres in African society, as well as how literature is a didactic tool at historical, ethical and socio-cultural levels. It has been found that epic literature conveys the message of heroism, patriotism or strong attachment to motherland connected with human’s destiny which cannot be altered by human power. Key words: Heroic epic, protagonist, destiny, quest, the function of literature.

Highlights

  • Literary studies reveal that heroic epics are cultural documentations and heroic narratives

  • This study aims to have a deep look into the message that is conveyed through the two African epics as they center on two historical figures that shake the history of the African past

  • This study hinged on the following objectives: 1. To compare Sundiata and Shaka basing on some heroic characteristics that make them differ from other protagonists in African literature; 2

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Summary

Introduction

Literary studies reveal that heroic epics are cultural documentations and heroic narratives. Niane‟s Sundiata, an epic of old Mali and Kunene‟s Emperor Shaka the Great, a Zulu Epic are good examples. The two epics reflect the idea of pride, honour and dignity as derived from the deeds performed by extraordinary men. Anyang (2007) contends that those deeds are the yardsticks against which the individual must measure him/herself. Okpewho (1979) offers an African conception of the term epic and says that it is fundamentally a tale about the fantastic deeds of a man or men endowed with something more than human might and operating in something larger than the normal human context. In his review of Okpewho‟s The Epic in Africa, Kunene (1980) asserts that the African epic often begins from the assumption that individuals in society inherit a set of fundamental social principles or laws that, when violated, often times

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