Introduction

Prose fiction is an imaginary story, usually written down, that someone

tells in everyday, natural language. The opposite of nonfiction and poetry, it lets

people leave reality, exploring characters and events that typically are limited

only by the scope of the writers imagination. It generally uses a variety of

techniques such as narrative and has a wide range in terms of length. Although

individuals label these stories by form and genre, a common thread is the use of

universal themes that trigger emotional responses from readers. The definition

of good and bad for these works is fairly subjective, because they are based

on the way people talk and behave in regular conversation and situations, which

changes over time.

African prose fiction is an imaginary story written by Africans in an

African setting to showcase their rich cultural heritage. African fiction refers to

a European genre of storytelling comprised of secular novels and short stories

that Africans have adopted and adapted to represent continental African realities

in the wake of nineteenth- and twentieth-century European colonialism and

post-colonialism.

The Africans should be the authors of their prose fiction. The reason for

this is that they are in the position to write their story. While Africans write their

prose fictions, it gives them the opportunity to express themselves especially

how they feel about their world.

 There is no language specified for the writing of African prose fiction. It

should be written in both local and foreign languages. The reason for the use of

local language is to enable indigenous people to understand other peoples

feelings and learn from each other. On the other hand, foreign language like

English, French among others would be useful as well. Writing with foreign

languages will enable other people from other parts of the world to understand

the African world view.

Some African authors include; Chinaua Achebe from Nigeria in his things

fall apart, Ayi Kwei A Camara, the beautiful once are not yet born, Mariama B,

Born in Dakar, Senegal, in 1929, B has come to be regarded as one of the most

original writers to have emerged from west Africa.

In conclusion, the purpose of this unit is to read prose fiction produced by

writers from the African region. Prose fiction in Africa is rich and vibrant. It is a

twentieth century phenomenon, and yet it includes works of art in English,

Kiswahili, French, and African languages. Africa has been through great

historical upheavals in the relatively short span of fifty years. As a result the

literature reflects a multiplicity of themes and concerns that in other parts of the

world took hundreds of years to become manifest. The literature of Africa

therefore includes not only anti-colonial and postcolonial literature but a host of

other universal themes discernible in literature from other parts of the world.