A invisibilidade das literaturas africanas de língua inglesa no Ensino Médio: confluências transatlânticas

Abstract

Literary texts are covered to a limited extent in the English language teaching materials available in Brazilian primary education. It is also noteworthy that the few English textbooks that include literary proposals are predominantly derived from American and British authors. By establishing a correlation between this context and the provisions outlined in Law 10.639/03, which stipulate the mandatory incorporation of African and Afro-Brazilian History and Culture into the educational curriculum, it can be seen that, despite the enactment of this legislation over two decades ago, not all teachers have access to this content during their training programs. In view of the aforementioned points, the general aim of this study is to examine and discuss the formal procedures that constitute the novels The Palm-wine Drinkard (1952), by Amos Tutuola. The specific objectives are as follows: i) to deconstruct the hegemonic model that prioritizes the teaching and learning of English based on cultural values from the United States of America and England; ii) to propose teaching tips for working with Nigerian literature in high school English classes in order to comply with Law 10.639/03. The corpus of this research comprises the novels The Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952). Our hypothesis is that Tutuola’s novel embodies aesthetic values, thereby providing a rationale for the incorporation of these and other non-canonical literary works into high school English classes. The research is anchored on Deleuze and Guattari's Rhizome concept; in Glissant’s Poetics of Relation; in Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin’s Postcolonial Literatures (2002); in Bakhtin's theory of the novel, as well as in other literary critics from Africa. Following a comprehensive review of the selected Nigerian novel, we will employ analytical and comparative methodologies to critically evaluate the literary elements that materialize in the narrative and that potentially possess aesthetic qualities. By bringing forward the voices of Nigerian authors, it is hoped that the research will contribute to the reception and appreciation of this literary aesthetic in High school English classes, thereby rendering Anglophone writers from the cradle of civilization more visible