Between freedom and self-subjection: the dilemma of writing in an African language

Between freedom and self-subjection: the dilemma of writing in an African language

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This article is T-shirt an analysis of the dilemmas that confront an author who chooses to write in an African language.(Language choice remains a particularly vexing issue in African literature.) On the one hand a language that he is a master of gives him the freedom to assert himself and oppose the imperial way of thinking, which is liberating.On the other hand choice of language confines his work to a specific audience and a particular set of literary canons.

Sometimes certain influential gatekeepers overtly prescribe boundaries and limit the possibilities of transcending them.On the other hand, as a case study of Sesotho literature shows, the literature itself manifests generic and thematic propensities that limit the freedom of literary expression.From the subjective and privileged position of being a writer in Sesotho himself MOST150 Optical Mercedes Pre-Amp the author in the end makes a number of suggestions on how to overcome this stifling status quo.