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Barnard College

Publication Date

Spring 2014

Program Name

Senegal: National Identity and the Arts

Abstract

Wolof as a whole is a language in transition from oral to written. The immense oral tradition of stories and songs in Wolof is increasingly being supplemented by new literature. This movement is visible across all genres of literature, but I am particularly interested in literature for children, both because it has been largely ignored in the existing research on Wolof literature, and because I think that children’s literature written in local or indigenous languages is important for increasing literacy and keeping these languages alive and vibrant. I will provide an analysis of the activities of two authors of Wolof children's literature and two major axis of Wolof children's book publishing. Through answering the questions of who is currently writing and who is currently publishing Wolof children's literature, I will be able to examine trends in contemporary Wolof children's literature and answer questions relating to the importance of Wolof literature in the present and future.

Disciplines

African Languages and Societies | Education | Linguistic Anthropology | Social and Cultural Anthropology

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