Bleeding Stubs: Is The Time Ripe for Target-Language Bias in African Literature?

Several African novels and short stories have been analysed linguistically. Those works found that the stories employed the linguistic style set by Chinua Achebe and Flora Nwapa. This paper looks at the style of Besong's Bleeding Stubs, a short fiction by an emerging controversial African author. It has not been analysed before. African English refers to varieties of the English language spoken and written across Africa, often influenced by local languages and cultures, resulting in unique expressions and idiomatic usage. It encompasses different forms, including Nigerian English, Kenyan English and South African English, reflecting the diverse linguistic landscape of the continent. Besong exploits the full potency of standard British English instead of African English to produce a fun and convoluted story despite its brevity. We suggest some reasons why he may be writing in this style. The story stands out because of its unique style compared to the works of fellow African authors. However, current African literary interests suggest that it may face resistance from most African authors and readers, as it stays clear of the African English prevalent in African works. We also touch on why African writers might resist Besong's style and stick to the status quo set by the pioneers of African literature.