My [gut] reaction to George"s response to the debate on `modern/post
modern' is that in the context of Africa we would take moderninsm to
have begun with colonisation [the introduction of European
civilisation] while on the other hand one may say that in the
Caribbean modernism begins with the arrival of Columbus.
One is again tempted to link post modernism with the development of
capitalism. Europe [excluding Ireland) and America may be said to be
in the post modern age, but this is difficult to be said of Africa
just because there is no clearly developed capitalist nation in
Africa.
BUT again literature operates differently: we may argue that the
classification of a literary piece of work--whether it is modern or
post modern etc-- is an act of reading not an act of writing.
Therefore, irrespective of the social/political/historical conditions
operating on the continent (in a nation) writings from that
nation/continent may be considered to be modern/post modern or
hyper-post modern (?).
What do you think?