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  <front>    <journal-meta>
      <journal-title>International Journal of English and Literature</journal-title>
      <issn pub-type="epub">2141-2626</issn>      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Academic Journals</publisher-name>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.5897/IJEL.9000014</article-id>
      <title-group>
        <article-title><![CDATA[Epistemological and moral implications of characterization in African literature: A critique of Patrick Chakaipaâ€™s â€˜Rudo Ibofuâ€™ (love is blind)]]></article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple">
        	          <name name-style="western">
            <surname>Munyaradzi</surname>
            <given-names>Mawere</given-names>
          </name>
                  </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <author-notes>
		<corresp id="cor1">* E-mail: <email xlink:type="simple">munhamanuel@yahoo.com.br</email></corresp>
      </author-notes>
      <pub-date pub-type="collection">
        <year>2011</year>
      </pub-date>
      <pub-date pub-type="epub">
      	<day>31</day>
        <month>01</month>
        <year>2011</year>
      </pub-date>
      <history>
      					<date date-type="accepted">
			<day>26</day>
			<month>11</month>
			<year>2010</year>
		</date>
			  </history>
      <volume>2</volume>
      <issue>1</issue>
	  	  <fpage>1</fpage>
	  <lpage>9</lpage>
      <permissions>
		<license xlink:type="simple">
			<license-p>
			This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
			</license-p>
		</license>
	  </permissions>
	  <self-uri xlink:href="http://politicalwaffle.uk/journal/IJEL/article-abstract/79ECC39932">
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      <abstract><![CDATA[This paper examines African epistemology and axiology as expressed in African literature through characterization, and it adopts the Zimbabwean Patrick Chakaiparsquo;s novel, Rudo Ibofu as a case study. It provides a preliminary significance of characterization in Zimbabwean literature and by extension African literature before demonstrating how characterization has been lsquo;abusedrsquo; by some African writers since colonialism in Africa. The consequences are that a subtle misconstrued image of Africa can indirectly or directly be perpetuated within the academic settings. The Zimbabwean novel as one example of African literature that extensively employs characterization, it represents Africa. The mode of this work is reactionary in the sense that it is responding directly to trends identifiable in African literature spheres. The paper therefore is a contribution towards cultural revival and critical thinking in Africa where the wind of colonialism in the recent past has significantly affected the nativesrsquo; consciousness. In the light of the latter point, the paper provides a corrective to the western gaze that demonized Africa by advancing the view that Africans were without a history, worse still epistemological and moral systems. The paper thus criticizes, dismantles and challenges the inherited colonial legacies which have injured many African scientists and researchersrsquo; consciousness; it is not only against the vestiges of colonialism, but of neo-colonialism and western cultural arrogance that have been perpetuated by some African writers through characterization.

	 

	Key words: Characterization, Africa, Zimbabwe, literature, epistemology, morality, Chakaipa, lsquo;Rudo Ibofursquo;]]></abstract>
    </article-meta>
  </front>
  </article>