ENG2603
ASSIGNMENT 3 2024
DUE 13 SEPTEMBER 2024
SEMESTER 2 2024
, ENG2603
Assignment 03
Due date: 13 September 2024
Question 1: Welcome to our Hillbrow by Mpe Phaswane
Assignment Task
Read the above passage and consider its significance in the African writers’ debates on
which languages to use when writing African literature. Carefully consult and read
Obiajunwa Wali’s essay, The Dead end of African Literature? (2007) Ngugi wa Thiongo
essay, “The Language of African Literature” (2007), and Chinua Achebe’s essay, “The
African writer and African Language” In: Morning Yet on Creation Day (1975) to
understand this debate.
Then, write an essay of not more than three pages showing how Phaswane uses
language in Welcome to our Hillbrow. Your answer should incorporate the views
of the above scholars and you should indicate your position regarding whether the
use of a certain language but not another is still a necessary debate in the 21st
century.
ESSAY
Phaswane Mpe’s novel Welcome to Our Hillbrow provides a profound exploration of the
complexities surrounding language use in African literature. Through the character of
Refentše, Mpe addresses the challenges faced by writers who attempt to express
themselves in African languages amongst the lingering effects of apartheid-era
censorship. As well as how Mpe uses language in the novel, integrating views from
Obiajunwa Wali’s "The Dead End of African Literature," Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s "The
Language of African Literature," and Chinua Achebe’s "The African Writer and African
Language" to frame the ongoing debate on language in African literature.
ASSIGNMENT 3 2024
DUE 13 SEPTEMBER 2024
SEMESTER 2 2024
, ENG2603
Assignment 03
Due date: 13 September 2024
Question 1: Welcome to our Hillbrow by Mpe Phaswane
Assignment Task
Read the above passage and consider its significance in the African writers’ debates on
which languages to use when writing African literature. Carefully consult and read
Obiajunwa Wali’s essay, The Dead end of African Literature? (2007) Ngugi wa Thiongo
essay, “The Language of African Literature” (2007), and Chinua Achebe’s essay, “The
African writer and African Language” In: Morning Yet on Creation Day (1975) to
understand this debate.
Then, write an essay of not more than three pages showing how Phaswane uses
language in Welcome to our Hillbrow. Your answer should incorporate the views
of the above scholars and you should indicate your position regarding whether the
use of a certain language but not another is still a necessary debate in the 21st
century.
ESSAY
Phaswane Mpe’s novel Welcome to Our Hillbrow provides a profound exploration of the
complexities surrounding language use in African literature. Through the character of
Refentše, Mpe addresses the challenges faced by writers who attempt to express
themselves in African languages amongst the lingering effects of apartheid-era
censorship. As well as how Mpe uses language in the novel, integrating views from
Obiajunwa Wali’s "The Dead End of African Literature," Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s "The
Language of African Literature," and Chinua Achebe’s "The African Writer and African
Language" to frame the ongoing debate on language in African literature.
