MODULE 1-2: PPT

• What is Afro-Asian Literature?

  Writings by people of mixed African-Arab or African-Asian ethnicity
• What do Afro-Asian literary works generally depict?

  The unique struggles and successes of Afro-Asian people
• What are the main genres of Afro-Asian Literature?

  • Playwriting
  • Poems
  • Prose
• What do poems in Afro-Asian Literature typically convey?

  History and culture through various forms
• How do playwrights in Afro-Asian Literature celebrate their culture?

  By setting plays in the past and referencing historical events
• What is the purpose of prose in Afro-Asian Literature?

  To expose truth and describe objects, places, and people
• What does the term "Africa" originally refer to?

  The North African coast
• What is one theory about the origin of the name "Africa"?

  It comes from the name of a Berber people
• What does another theory suggest about the name "Africa"?

  It connects to Phoenician terms meaning "ear of corn" and "land of fruit"
• How many distinct ethnic groups are there in Africa?

  At least 3,000
• What are the two main races in early Africa?

  1. Berbers
  2. Negroes
• What are specific adaptations of Africans to their environment?

  Hair and skin characteristics
• Where did Berbers inhabit in early Africa?

  The Mediterranean coastlands
• Where did Negroes primarily inhabit in early Africa?

  Equatorial Africa
• What was the Sahara Desert like around 8000 B.C.?

  A fertile grassland
• What caused migration in the Sahara around 4000-2000 B.C.?

  Desertification
• Where did peoples of the Sahara migrate to?

  North, east, and south
• What did those who migrated south mix with?

  Local Negro tribes
• What language did the Bantu-speaking peoples spread?

  Bantu
• What civilization began around 1000 B.C. in eastern Sudan?

  Kushites
• What was the capital of the Kushite Kingdom?

  Napata
• When did the Kushites begin to conquer Egypt?

  750 B.C.
• What dynasty was established by the Kushites in Egypt?

  The Kushite dynasty
• How long did Meroe flourish as the capital?

  Eight centuries
• Where did Kushite kings move after retreating from Egypt?

  Meroe
• What happened to the Kushite dynasty around 670 B.C.?

  They were driven out by the Assyrians
• Why did Meroe become the new capital of the Kushite kingdom?

  Due to its iron ore resources
• What were Kushite traders known for?

  Conducting trade from Red Sea ports
• What military advantage did the Kushites have?

  Strong cavalry and use of elephants
• What architectural feature was notable in Meroe?

  The beautifully decorated Temple of the Sun
• When did Nubian descendants of the Kushites convert to Christianity?

  Around 200 years after Meroe's destruction
• What led to the decline of Nubian Christian civilization?

  Invasions by Muslim Arabs and converts to Islam
• What happened to Nubian Christianity after the Muslim conquest of Egypt?

  It maintained friendly relations until around 1250
• What are the phenomena affecting African languages?

  • Language contact
  • Language expansion
  • Language shift
  • Language death
• What is language shift in South Africa?

  Significant shifts from Khoe-San and Malay to Afrikaans
• What are the two major expansions affecting African languages?

  1. Bantu Expansion
  2. Arab Expansion
• What did the Bantu-speaking peoples do during their expansion?

  Displaced Khoi-San speakers from Southeast Africa
• What caused the expansion of Arabic in North Africa?

  Arab expansion from Asia in the 7th century
• What are some examples of trade languages in Africa?

  • Berber
  • Fulfulde
  • Lingala
  • Somali
  • Jula
  • Hausa
  • Swahili
  • Arabic
• What language policies did many African countries adopt after independence?

  Former colonial languages for government and education