Sub-Saharan Africa

This chapter examines the development of the novel genre in Somalia, Chad, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal. It begins with a discussion of the use of Arabic in sub-Saharan Africa and the emergence of a new literary tradition in English, French, and Italian during and after independence. It then considers the works of Arabophone novelists from those five countries. The chapter shows that Arabic literature in sub-Saharan Africa is not homogenous and that African authors enrich the contemporary Arabic novel by introducing new perspectives on familiar themes ranging from migration to war, exile, and new cultural features, while insisting on local history and customs.