African market literature collection, circa 1950-1974.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Judith Greenblatt Endowment Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African literature.

African literature (English).

Chapbooks, Nigerian.

Genre:

Pamphlets

Chapbooks

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Fugitive Materials (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 2023.

Physical Description:

2 boxes (.66 linear foot)

Arrangement:

Organized into 3 series: I. Literature [fiction, non-fiction, short stories, and poems]; II. Government-generated works and works about countries; and III. "How-to" booklets.

Place of Publication:

circa 1950-1974.

Language Note:

In English.

Biography/History:

Nigeria was under British control from 1861 through its independence in 1960. It became a republic in 1963. Military groups led the country from 1966 to 1979, and there was a civil war between the federal government and the region of Biafra from 1967 to 1970. Onitsha market literature refers to the popular, sensational, stories that made up Nigerian pulp fiction in the years before and immediately following Nigerian independence. It was named for the Nigerian market and city in which it was written, printed, and disseminated until Onitsha lost its printing presses in the Nigeria-Biafra War. Before the war, however, independent publishers produced thousands of pamphlets that were distributed across Nigeria and Anglophone West Africa. The literature was often moralizing, specifically alluding to the dangers of casual sex and women. These pamphlets serve as evidence of the transition and search-for-self as Nigeria was working towards its independence, "the weight and optimism of independence is everywhere in the pamphlets, which grapple with the contradictions of becoming moderns or 'New Africans', without sacrificing too many old ways in the process. They contain a palpable enthusiasm for city life, moneymaking, self-creation, and self-improvement." Onitsha writings are described as both having a fascination with Westernized urban life and warning of the moral threats and dangers that accompany it. This literature served an additional purpose of improving the English of its audience, of teaching readers how to live in an urban environment, and of guiding readers through the reconciliation of urban life and rural values.

Summary:

The African market literature collection dates from circa 1950s to 1974. It comprises 67 pamphlets and books, published in Africa, mostly Nigeria, which represent popular literature, history, and, "how to"-style publications. This collection is of use to anyone interested in African and Onitsha market literature and popular culture representative of immediate pre- and post-independence era Nigeria. The first series, I. Literature, [fiction, non-fiction, short stories, and poems], is arranged alphabetically by the author's last name and contains works by authors including Chinua Achebe, 'Remi Adadeji, J. Benibengor Blay, Speedy Eric, Highbred Maxwell, Okenwa Olisah, and Kole Omotoso. The second series, II. Government-generated works and works about countries, contains works by or about Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria. The Nigerian government-generated works about Nigeria's history, government, and military make up the bulk of the material in this series. The third series, III. "How-to" booklets, contains eleven booklets with information ranging from hosting meetings to writing contracts to writing love letters.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Judith Greenblatt Endowment Fund.