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Magical realism: a literary sleight of hand


If you thought the only magical things about the African continent were the sunsets or the hypnotic lion dance, think again! Welcome to the fascinating world of magical realism, the literary trend that mixes the supernatural with the ordinary.


A surreal digital art piece featuring an African teenager in the center, surrounded by floating islands and plants with rainbow-colored leaves

Born in Latin America in the mid-20th century, magical realism was popularized by writers like Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende. For a better understanding of the impact of oral traditions and the global phenomenon of magic realism, you can watch this interesting video:



In Africa, this literary movement takes unique forms, drawing on oral traditions, spiritual beliefs and local cultural contexts, thus enriching a literary heritage already rich in bewitching stories.


The deep roots of magical realism in African culture


Africa, the cradle of humanity and all the incredible stories your uncle tells after a few glasses of palm wine, is also an emerging hotbed of this enigmatic literary movement. Do you know magical realism? It's like taking a folk tale, adding a pinch of mystery, a dash of metaphysics, and a dash of irony, and presto, you have a bestseller.

Let's go back to the time when the griots recited stories under the baobab tree. This is surely where it all began, in this setting where the supernatural coexisted joyfully with everyday life. You imagine: a man who speaks to the spirits of the ancestors while preparing his dish of foufou with disconcerting dexterity. That's a bit like African magical realism.


Then there were the colonizers, with their impeccable suits and perfect smiles. But instead of making the magical stories disappear, they unintentionally made them stronger. Imagine a British missionary who sees spirits in sacred groves and hears voices in the wind. Perhaps they drank too much tea that day, but these experiences nourished a literary genre deeply rooted in the way children on this continent would tell their stories .


The contemporary rise of African magical realism


And now African magical realism is everywhere. Writers like Léonora Miano with “ Season of the Shadow ”, or Mia Couto , who takes us to a Mozambique where the spirits of ancestors mingle with rivers and forests, continue to weave stories where the supernatural dances the rumba with daily reality.


So, the next time you read a novel where a grandmother transforms into an eagle to save her grandson from a poisonous snake, or an entire village disappears into the mist only to reappear twenty years later without having aged, remember: it's perhaps magical realism, that literary joke that makes you believe that everything is possible, even elephants playing football.


Magical realism in African literature is a bit like the hot sauce on your jollof rice dish: it may seem strange at first, but once you taste it, you can't live without it. To learn more about this captivating subject, visit the page dedicated to magical realism !


And don't forget, in this continent, magic is everywhere, even where you don't expect it.



Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are "affiliate links". This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a commission.



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