Changes in the Roles of Women in Africa
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This 5 page report discusses the various changes in the status of women and women's roles in Africa through pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial times. The entire issue of gender and gender roles serves as just one more example of the depth of complexity of any issue related to Africa, whether in terms of history or the modern Africa. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Filename: BWgenAF.rtf

The Nation-State: A Curse for Africa?
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5 pages in length. In Black Man's Burden, author Basil Davidson argues that the nation-state has proved a curse for the African independent nation. When we examine the works of several different authors it is easy to discover that Davidson speaks the truth: that the nation-state has indeed proved to be a curse for Africa. This paper also considers Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: JGAafrca.wps

Journey of Discovery, Journey of Faith - The Life of Olaudah Equiano
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A 5 page paper that traces the transition of the life of Olaudah Equiano from a child of traditional African Igbo culture to an adult of strong, deep Christian faith. Discussed are the conditions that shaped Equiano's life, including his abduction into the life of slavery at the age of 11, his introduction to Christianity, and the development of a personal faith that endured throughout his lifetime. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Filename: LCJourny.doc

The Family by Pa Chin and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe: The Conflict and Acceptance of Change
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The status of the family described within Pa Chin's work The Family is defined by class status and definitive social design. The structure of power and the interactions of the decision making processes are the foundation for the trans-class love that develops between Cheuh-hui, the third son, and Ming-feng, a house servant. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is the story of the conflict between Africa and Europe, between the Western way of doing things and the tribal consciousness. It is the story of the psychological and social consequences of the transition from the tribal indigenous society to the Western mode brought by the Imperialistic takeover. This 5 page paper examines the conflict inherent in the act of transition, either within the evolving social roles of the family or the cultural definitions of a society as it is assimilated into the modern world. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: KTchinac.wps

Nadine Gordimer's 'My Son's Story'
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A 4 page sociopolitical examination of Nadine Gordimer's 'My Son's Story'-- the tale of a Black South-African who plays hooky from school only to discover that his father is having an affair with a White woman... in the midst of Apartheid. Character, theme, and their relevance to South African politics & society are discussed. No Bibliography.
Filename: Sonsstor.wps

African Literature as A Mirror to the Continent's Struggles
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A short, yet well-written 3 page discussion of how Ngugi Wa Thiong'O's 'Petals of Blood' and Buchi Emecheta's 'The Joys of Motherhood' demonstrate the socio-cultural and socio-religious struggles that Africans endured after being so crudely affected by European influences. Bibliography lists full citations for the two primary texts.
Filename: Joysofmo.wps

Bessie Head and Ngugi Wa Thiong'O
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A 5 page paper that considers the theme of interpersonal conflict in Head's 'The Collector of Treasures' and Wa Thiong'O's 'The Return.' The writer also demonstrates the way in which gender of both the characters and the authors impacts the development of this theme. No additional sources cited.
Filename: Thiongo.wps

Ngugi Thiong'o and Ngugi wa Mirii's 'I Will Marry When I Want'
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A 6 page paper that provides an overview of the major thematic components and the circumstances surrounding the original production of Ngugi and Ngugi's play. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: Ngugi.doc

Athol Fugard's 'The Blood Knot'
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An 11 page paper discussing South African dissident Athol Fugard's 1961 play The Blood Knot. The text of the play is carefully examined in light of South Africa's history and culture and their unique effect on the play. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: Bloodknt.wps

Athol Fugard's 'Master Harold . . . and the Boys' / Fatherhood
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A 5 page paper based on the play by South African playwright Athol Fugard. It contrasts Hally's relationship with his real father with his relationship with the black waiter Sam, who actually behaves much more like a father to him. The paper concludes by analyzing Hally's terrible betrayal of Sam at the play's end. Bibliography lists two sources.
Filename: Harold.wps

Sundiata / African Epic
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A 3 page discussion of society and kingship in the African epic 'Sundiata.' The writer discusses the roles of royalty, masculinity, cultural arts, and more. No Bibliography.
Filename: Sundiata.wps

Feminism and Colonialism in Head and Ngugi
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A six-page paper looking at these two twentieth-century authors in terms of the contribution their female characters make toward the idea of a non-colonial future in Africa. Specific works discussed include Bessie Head's When Rain Clouds Gather and Ngugi wa Thiong'o's A Grain of Wheat. Bibliography lists four sources.
Filename: KBngugi.wps

Political and Social Theory in Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart'
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A nine page paper comparing the state of African society depicted in Chinua Achebe's novel with the sociological and political theories discussed in Mahmood Mamdani's Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism; Anthony Butler's Democracy and Apartheid: Political Theory, Comparative Politics, and the Modern South African State; and Frederick D. Lugard's The Dual Mandate in British Tropical Africa. No additional sources.
Filename: KBacheb9.wps

Intercultural Communication In 'Things Fall Apart'
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An 8 page paper looking at the nature of intercultural communication in Chinua Achebe's classic novel. The paper defines intercultural communication as necessitating not only a commonality of language but a commonality of viewpoint and assumption. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: Achfall.wps