WEST AFRICAN ARABIC NOVELS FROM THE LATE OF THE 20TH CENTURY TO PRESENT. (THE CASE OF LİMÂZÂ YEKRAHÛNENÂ, HÂDİMU’L-VATAN AND CERÎME VELÂKİN NOVELS)

The history of Arabic in West Africa dates back to the 7th century. Although Arabic was used to some extent as a spoken language among the people in the region, scholars and some sultans, particularly during early periods such as the Songhai era, became proficient in Arabic due to the linguistic knowledge they acquired from Arabic sources. This situation laid the groundwork for the emergence of notable works in both poetry and prose. Since prose was primarily used by scholars in the region, early examples of prose include friendship treatises (Ikhwaniyyāt), sermons, administrative documents, official correspondence between kings, and works on religion and linguistics. However, these prose examples did not possess literary qualities; instead, they dealt with instructive, scientific, historical, social, and political topics. The birth of the indigenous Arabic novel in West Africa began in the late 20th century, specifically in 1996, with the short story Family is The Foundation of Education, written by Nigerian author Ismail Ebubekir as part of his undergraduate degree at Sokoto University. 

This study aims to examine Arabic-language novels written in West Africa and will consist of an introduction and three main cahpters. In the introduction, a general overview of African Arabic literature will be provided. The first chapter will focus on the history of Arabic in West Africa and the development of prose. The second chapter will discuss the emergence of Arabic novels in West Africa, which developed from the mentioned prose genres, as well as the factors that influenced this development, sources of inspiration, and stylistic features reflecting the unique West African identity of the region. The third and final chapter will provide a detailed analysis of three example novels, guided by contemporary novel analysis methods. 

KEYWORDS: West Africa, West African Arabic Novel, West African Literature, West African Arabic Literature, Structural Analysis, Socio-structural Analysis.