A Survey of African Poetry in the London Times, Sunday Times, Financial Times, the Times Literary Supplement 1865-1985

"Writing in West Africa: A Chance to Adapt and to Experiment", The Times Literary Supplement, 10 Aug 1962, p. 570+ The Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive,, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EX1200325446/GDCS?u=linc74325&sid=GDCS&xid=dadd4392. Accessed 17 Dec 2019

[Excerpt]: "Visitors to West Africa have often remarked that whereas in French territories Africans speak either immaculate French or none at all, in British West Africa many speak some form of broken or pidgin English. Mostly this is attributed to the fact that the French built far fewer schools than the British, but provided a thorough secondary education. At the same time it was their avowed policy to assimilate Africans to French culture. Since they claimed that West Africa was not really a colony but "France Outre-Mer", Africans were considered as underprivileged only as long as they did not have a French education... On the other hand Nigeria made a very late start. There was nothing at all before Mr. Tutuola's The Palm-Wine Drinkard, which was published in 1952. Even then it took years before literature in Nigeria got off the ground. But the past few years have seen a literary activity here that equals anything in French West Africa. There are at least four novelists of interest: Achebe, Ekwensi, Nzekwu and Babatunde Jones (the last unpublished); there are lively poets: Okara, Soyinka, Clark and Okigbo--the first two represented on the previous page. There are the playwrights: Soyinka, Clark, Yetunde Esan. The place is full of literary criticism and controversy; there are literary journals, clubs and associations." ...