ENG2603
Assignment 3 2024
Detailed Solutions, References & Explanations
Unique number:
Due date: 13 September 2024
3 ESSAYS PROVIDED
The Language Debate in African Literature: Analyzing Phaswane Mpe’s Use of
Language in Welcome to Our Hillbrow
Introduction
The issue of language in African literature has been a longstanding and contentious
debate among African writers and scholars. The passage from Phaswane Mpe's
Welcome to Our Hillbrow vividly highlights the challenges African writers face when
choosing to write in African languages. Mpe, through the protagonist Refentše, grapples
with the societal and systemic constraints that stifle creative expression in indigenous
languages. This essay examines how Mpe uses language in Welcome to Our Hillbrow,
drawing on the views of Obiajunwa Wali, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Chinua Achebe, to
explore the complexities surrounding the use of African languages in literature. It also
discusses whether the debate on language use remains relevant in the 21st century.
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