Towards the Revitalization of the Short Story Genre in SubSaharan Africa: Issues and Prospects

Aloy Obika, Uche Oboko

Abstract


In many countries, the short story genre does not receive as much critical attention as the novel in spite of its being in consonance with the jet age in which we are now. Also, most writers especially in sub-Saharan Africa start with writing short stories only to deviate later. The result is that in this region, the genre is looked down upon. In order to ascertain the true position of the genre, teachers and lecturers were consulted. Also, critical evaluation in different journals and the Internet were consulted. The result is that in America, the genre is thriving because of the regard the society accords it. Such is not obtainable in the region under study. The little push being given to it is not sufficient. Therefore, it is the opinion of the writers of this paper that if people are sensitized, there will be positive changes. In this way, for an illustration, instead of Nigerian Price for Literature having just Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Children’s Literature, Fiction can be divided into two—the Novel and the Short Story forms. Also in this sensitization, the West African Examination Council can start recommending short story texts in its Senior School Certificate Examinations. Finally, the Association of Nigerian Authors can work harder than it is doing now. Key Words: Novel, Short stories, Genre, Fiction, Entertain, Educate

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