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 November, 2010

The Imagination of Children

by Sean Noonan (USA)

 

What is so powerful about the stories I write are the thoughts and imagination of my family, especially Elannah and Sam. In actual fact a lot of the plot and character traits have a great deal to thank for our children's creativity. (Continued below...)

   
         
 

African Literature

 

by Ernesto Pramasetya

African literature, oral and written literatures produced in Africa. Africa has a really long literary tradition, but really little amount of this literature to the 20th Century was written. In the absence of a broad literacy, African literatures were mainly transmitted orally from generation to generation through memorization and recitations.

The majority is of African literature written in European languages by the European colonization of the Continent of 16 Century to the mid-20th Century. This time displaced European languages African languages in the government, education, businesses and, to a large part in everyday communication. By far the most popular language in the European literature of Africa is English, French and Portuguese, respectively. Books in African languages and traditional oral texts went unnoticed until the late 20th Century, but today receive more recognition. Many experts prefer the term African literature, but of African literature, emphasizing the variety of literary traditions known by the term.

This survey relates only to the literature of the SSA. Literature from North Africa are not included because the cultures of North Africa a greater affinity to share with the Arab worlds with the peoples and cultures of the Sahara (for details, see the Arabic literature.) The literature of white South Africa is also excluded because they are more on the European literary heritage is used.
Literacy in Arabic came to the continent of Africa with the introduction of Islam in the kingdom of Ghana in the 11th Century by the Tare, indigenous peoples of the Sahara. When Islam to other parts of West Africas through literacy spread of jihad (holy war) and distributed. Islam depended on the Quran (Koran), the Holy Scripture, and is forced to learn passages by heart. From the seventh century Arab influences were also prevalent on the east coasts of Africa, where Arab traders and slaves were very active. The Arabic scripts were adapted by the end of Swahili in East and Central Africa was the lingua franca (language of trade and other cross-cultural communication).

The Christianity was a pathway for the introduction of literacy in Africa south of Sahara. Christian missionaries on the continent was in the second half of the 19 active, especially after the abolition of the slave trade and the growing interest of Europeans in other types of trade. In areas in which Muslims introduced literacy, mainly produces literature in African languages.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/languages-articles/african-literature-3379002.html

About the AuthorFor more information about Vintage Pocket Knives and Buckmaster Knife you can visit our site.

 

Imagination of Children.... (continued)

Their thoughts are always so vibrant and, after all, what better way to write a children's story than to have the ideas and thoughts of our children intimately involved in the story's creation. I think this works especially well with the way in which the stories connect with the younger readers. I have read at the local school for the nursery and primary ages and the children always respond with fascination and wonder. Such looks of joy on their faces as I read the book. Quite reward enough for any author.

My main motivation for the stories is to entertain and engage my children. When we are young we have such powerful imaginations but as we grow older that power can become eroded and faded. If as Albert Einstein supposedly said "all of our problems and our solutions are products of our imaginations," then we must be very careful about what we do with our children's imaginations.

Both my children are creative and have active and vivid imaginations and I am lucky enough to be able to have them help with 'the Everlasting and Fantastical Adventures of Elannah and Sam' collection of stories. When we all sit to talk about a particular part of a plot we have to carefully take it in turns to each have a say or the room is pandemonium for the flood of ideas that demand to be heard.

Elannah's creativity was soon apparent to us at a very young age as she had a way when she painted that was just beyond her years. We have paintings of hers on our wall from when she was two or three. Her ability to express herself in paint was very inspiring with me. This love of expressing her ideas in pictures also inspired her to draw the pictures that are in the books.

Those pictures are especially loved by the children who read or who listen to the stories and you can see them exploring the sketches with great enthusiasm once they grab a hold of the book.

Sam was quite quiet at first and we wondered if he would be overshadowed by his elder sister who loves to talk and to share her ideas. Boys in general also tend to be quieter and less vocal than girls so we were worried at first. We need not have worried though, as when Sam was old enough, he has shown himself to be very able at holding his own in a conversation and when we go out for walks together he will talk constantly as he rambles through the woods. Again his imagination is clear to see as he creates characters and stories to entertain us while we stroll, run and jump.

From the plots, characters and ideas we create have come such a pleasure in the stories we write and although I am named the Author I have to admit there is so much of the family in the books that I truly cannot claim much of the credit.

Sean Noonan -Author

A salty seadog who has 'swallowed the anchor' and come ashore. Married to a rare woman, Liz, with two adorable muses for kids. Living in Scotland and enjoying creating imaginative adventure stories for kids of any age.

http://everlastingfantasticaladventures.blogspot.com/

http://www.outskirtspress.com/webpage?isbn=9781432752897

Article Source:
http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051291275-1-the-imagination-of-children/


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Publishing New Writers,

November, 2010 (no. 1111)

Publisher:

Bruce L. Cook
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Sanford, NC 27332

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