What motivated me to begin this research, and kept me going throughout the process, was my deep conviction that there is a need for cultural exchange between all countries in the Third World, especially those in Africa. This is not only because these countries share common challenges and aspirations, but also because African art and culture contain valuable humanistic values. The homeland is always the central focus of any researcher’s work. This is the first truth that Western African literature scholars must embrace. People’s tastes, perspectives, and artistic styles vary, but the homeland—its history, its struggles, and its current reality—is always the main focus of research. It took Radda Ashur six years to gather enough material for this book, in order to answer the question: “Is it true that modern African literature derives its strength from its ability to respond to specific political situations, and therefore loses its value when those situations no longer exist?”