There is no standard definition as folklorists have varying descriptions for oral literature or folk literature but a broad conceptualization refers to it as literature characterized by oral transmission and the absence of any fixed form. The study of the negritude movement encompasses the historical context, the definition of the concept and its principal authors, ideological. One of the most crucial aspects of the development of philosophy of african history has been a realization of the importance of the spoken or oral traditions in the framing and interpretation of african history. Oral tradition definition in the cambridge english. The oral tale is not the childhood of fiction macculloch, 1905, but the early literary traditions were beneficiaries of the oral genres, and there is no doubt that the epic and its hero are the predecessors of the african novel and its central characters. Oral history, oral traditions, and archaeology oxford. To be born into african society is to be born into a culture that is intensely and. The story itself is a primary form of the oral tradition, primary as a mode of conveying culture, experience, and values and as a means of.
Oral traditions guide social and human morals, giving people a sense of place. Oral tradition and african theatre by mineke schipper the theatre is always a mirror of human existence, and theatrical expression is always linked to a specific time and place and culture. Interactions and intersections edited by daniela merolla leiden university, the netherlands introduction the studies of oral literature are countless, and the educational function of storytelling is certainly one of recurring topics. African sages are part of an oral tradition, whereas philosophic thought requires literacy. The modern african writer is to his indigenous oral tradition as a snail is to its shell. Africa and its people 8 chapter 2 the beginning of time. This article offers the text of remarks given by professor turner on march. Letters, diaries, and even old shopping lists can tell us a lot about how people lived, what they thought and how they felt about what happened around them. It includes a system of classification, a set of empirical observations about the local environment, and a system of selfmanagement that governs resource use.
The transmission is through speech or song and may include folktales, ballads, chants, prose or verses. It was grounded on an examination of two data bases. This oral poetry also appears in the african american tradition of christian sermons, which make use of deliberate repetition, cadence, and alliteration. The use of oral tradition is a distinctive and essential element in many fields of african studies. The message transmitted orally, were preserved by memory. The oral tradition is a living, and dynamic organism within the. Even so, it illustrates only one aspect of the words definition shared experiences. Oral tradition and indigenous knowledge written documents are very important sources of history. Oral literature or folk literature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken oral word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. Abstract a lot has been said about the slow death of the oral tradition aspect of indigenous communication. The perception of african oral literature 29 nineteenthcentury approaches and collections. There is also the oral history tradition which is the same of account of past events and activities, but revived by persons who were not direct actors or participants to the events. This includes historical and cultural traditions, literature and law. Archaeologists in many other regions of africa soon turned to oral testimonies, both traditions and direct historical accounts, to supplement and question documentary records pertaining to the african past of.
In africa, such oral traditions have attracted the attention of historians and their analysis is gradually helping discovery of an african history that has been hitherto undiscovered. Without a printing press, access to books, or access to education, most people in the ancient times did not know how to read or write. Pdf african literature from the oral tradition to current trends. Since historical archaeology gained a foothold in africa during the late colonial era, the use of oral traditions and oral histories has been a hallmark of african archaeology. In your view, does oral tradition have a future in the midst of modernity and social change. So the transmission of knowledge, history and experience in west africa was mainly through the oral tradition and performance rather than on written texts. African american oral culture is rich in poetry, including spirituals, gospel music, blues, and rap. Analyze the role and importance of the griot in the epic. The position of oral tradition myths, mythology and legends in. African history, eurocentric view, african historians, oral tradition. African american history and the oral tradition darwin t. The main objective of this paper is to examine african culture and values. African oral tradition is never simply a spoken art.
African sage philosophy stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. African literature consists of a body of work in different languages and various genres, ranging from oral literature to literature written in colonial languages french, portuguese, and english. Oral tradition as history is one of the best books of this genre. The former are relatively well knownat any rate the recent writings in european languages much work remains to be publicized on earlier arabic and local. These discussions have clarified both the uses and the problems of oral data. Oral tradition, european modernity and african philosophy emevwo biakolo, phd school of media and communication panafrican university, lagos, nigeria email. The former are relatively well knownat any rate the recent writings in european languages much work remains to be publicized on earlier arabic and. Religion enters into every aspect of the life of the africans and it cannot be studied in isolation. Oral tradition definition, a communitys cultural and historical traditions passed down by word of mouth or example from one generation to another without written instruction. Their african eve conclusion may be supported by linguistic observations. Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved and transmitted orally from one generation to another. The african american oral tradition and its rhetorical. The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and cultural values on christian. It is described as the product of thinking and experience of african forefathers and mothers of.
The tradition of african storytelling is one of the oldest in african culture, across the continent vambe. The african american toast tradition louisiana folklife. Oral art as literature 2 africa possesses both written and unwritten traditions. Oral tradition, civic education, africa, literature. The african oral tradition distills the essences of human experiences, shaping them into rememberable, readily retrievable images of broad applicability with an extraordinary potential for eliciting emotional responses.
Objectives to introduce students to the african american oral tradition, beginning with preslavery and continuing to contemporary life. In discussing african culture and values, we are not presupposing that all african societies have the same. Alagoa university of port harcourt introduction a few decades ago, african historians were required to answer questions concerning the viability of their enterprise. The study of orality is closely allied to the study of oral tradition. If there is a single book that africanists, oral historians, anthropologists, and folklorists should add to their personal libraries, this is. Was it possible to construct a credible history out of the oral tradition. Unlike written literary genres, oral literature is conveyed or passed down to future generations by word of mouth, typically through memorization and recitation. His dissertation was based on a study of his own tribe, the akamba. African oral history department of african and african. Unn university of nigeria, nsukka, nsukka, nigeria for a long time, children with special needs were educated along with other regular children in schools. African heritage and oral tradition essay example 610. Oral traditions as sources oxford research encyclopedia of. Most works in the oral tradition combined entertainment with history and religion, telling stories of the cultures gods, heroes, and important historical events. In african traditional religion, morals, values, beliefs and culture among other things play a critical role in society.
The oral tradition 26 chapter 3 the supreme being 36 chapter 4 the spirit world 46 chapter 5 rites and ritual in african religion 64 chapter 6 sacred spaces and places 88 chapter 7 mystical forces 96 chapter 8 african religion in todays world 104 chapter 9 african religion past, present, and future 116 fact file and bibliography 2. The book is available as a free pdf and ebook download thanks to the generous support of interested readers and organisations, who made donations using the crowdfunding website unglue. The importance of oral traditions in african history. Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas. Oral tradition definition of oral tradition by the free.
Niane, dt 1982 african oral traditions and afroamerican cultural traditions as a means of understanding black culture. The term orality has been used in a variety of ways, often to describe, in a generalised fashion, the structures of consciousness found in cultures that do not employ, or employ minimally, the technologies of writing. African proverbs and stories draw upon the collective wisdom of oral peoples, express their structures of meaning, feeling, thought, and expression, and thus serve important social and ethical purposes. Oral tradition can be defined as testimony transmitted by word of mouth from one generation to another. Scott moreau, a critique of john mbitis understanding. It is conveyed more through speech than through writing, oral literature is often an important medium for the transmission of ideas, knowledge, and history. Ancient egyptian scribes, early hausa and swahili copyists and memorizers, and contemporary writers of popular novellas have been the obvious and crucial transitional figures. Proverbs west african oral tradition includes proverbs, or popular sayings. African oral tradition, cultural retentions and the.
African literature oral traditions and the written word. Oral traditions and african history oral tradition as a source for african history has been subject to a certain amount of controversy in recent decades. I teach kings the history of the ancestors so that the lives of the ancients might serve them as an example, for the. The bride needs something old, something new, something borrowed and. Themes in the literary traditions of contemporary africa are worked out frequently within the strictures laid down by the imported religions christianity and islam and within the struggle between traditional and modern, between rural and newly urban, between genders, and between generations.
Unfortunately, however, we are losing members of these past generations far too quickly. Here the information is obtained by talking and listening to people with historical information especially elders. In the san, black and afrikaans traditions, people knew how to treat certain illnesses or wounds from what their elders told them. The african oral tradition paradigm of storytelling as a. Cavallisforza, piazza, menozzi, and mountain 1988 have shown that. In the san and black cultures it was usually the medicine men that knew this, but in afrikaans it is called boererate, and anybody was allowed to use them.
In african religion, it is the guiding principle in which to make sense of the world. I have broadly defined literary genres within the context of social and cultural. African literature, literary works of the african continent. Listening is an equally important skill, which has been perfected by the traditional oral practices. These are removed from their historical contexts so that performers may recontextualize them in artistic forms.
Africa possesses both written and unwritten traditions. An african philosophy of history in the oral tradition. Achebes things fall apart and the african oral tradition. In addition to these, each african society has songs con. Legends and myths are prime examples of oral literature, crossing the line between fact and fiction, yet strengthened by constant retelling.
African traditions encourage unanimity regarding beliefs and values and discourage individual critical thought. Oral literature in africa is part of the world oral literature series published in conjunction with the world oral literature project. Oral tradition and indigenous knowledge south african. His reply to these claims has significantly shaped the discourse on sage philosophy.
The oral tradition is a living, and dynamic organism within the african community, and the original element of oral traditional is djembe. The importance of oral tradition 840 words 4 pages. Oral tradition delivers explanations to the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life on earth. Oral traditions as sources oxford research encyclopedia. The oral nature of african unwritten literature 3 the significance of performance in actualization, transmission, and composition. Oral tradition is very important in african culture, as it insures the passage of cultural practices from one generation to another. Song as oral tradition in west africa the british library.
Atr african traditional religion introduction three religions dominates african continent. Oral tradition offers the advantages of inducing open communication and verifiable firsthand knowledge of events from a historical reference point. The recollections of ordinary african women and men are often the best, and often the only, historical sources for much of twentiethcentury african history. The african oral tradition distills the essences of human experiences. Assess the significance of oral tradition in bantu religion. Historically, most african societies did not have an invented alphabet. As evidenced in print and music, african americans boast a lively verbal art tradition that includes tales, toasts, and adventures of bad guys who confront and vanquish any adversary instantly and guiltlessly. Oral traditions of africa article teach africa tm world. An analysis of african oral traditions travelandculture blog. Iyaseres article oral tradition in the criticism of african literature. Oral and written storytelling traditions have had a parallel development, and in many ways they have influenced each other.
Oral tradition is nonwritten history, it is spoken word only. Abstract an archaeological reconstruction of the history and aspects of the culture of the. Hamlet connections to secondary students secondary school students are at an age where making connections between the present and the past is a necessary part of critical engagement and personal growth. The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and.
An african philosophy of history in the oral tradition by e. Janet topp fargion curator at the british library explores how a range of west african oral tradition genres exists alongside written expressions, with a focus on sung poetry. Ecological aspects are closely tied to social and spiritual aspects of the knowledge system. It present accounts of past events and activities rendered by persons who were direct actors or participates or eye witness to the events. The importance of oral traditions in african history 123. Since there are no sacred books on which to base the study of african traditional religion except on the proverbs, folklores, oral tradition, ethics and morals of african societies, we shall, in this study, critically analyze some major concepts of african traditional.
The significance of performance in actualization, transmission, and composition. Having briefly defined history, we should ask ourselves, what is historiography. Prospects and challenges of oral traditions and ethnography for archaeological reconstructions a case study of tivland, nigeria by samuel oluwole ogundele, ph. The steady incursion of foreign media content and values which were once alien to africans but are now being assimilated and exhibited. Ancient egyptian scribes, early hausa and swahili copyists and memorizers, and contemporary writers of popular novellas have been the obvious and crucial transitional figures in the movement. Unlike most euroasian civilizations, african societies favored oral tradition and few possessed written languages. Apr 17, 2015 109yearold veteran and his secrets to life will make you smile short film showcase duration. Oral tradition is also distinct from the study of orality defined as thought and its verbal. This volumes achievements reach well beyond any single discipline and create a bridge between the humanists and social scientists. Oral tradition is information passed down through the generations by word of mouth that is not written down. The notion of special education was a western phenomenon and concept in nigeria. Historians rarely pause to reflect on the history and theory of our own discipline, but it is a salutary exercise, particularly when the discipline is as young as african history.
Besides the two major sources of african history written documents and archaeology, oral tradition takes its place as a real living museum, conserver and transmitter of the social and cultural creations of peoples purported to have no written records. Young zulu men from country areas who take up manual work in. African literature, the body of traditional oral and written literatures in afroasiatic and african languages together with works written by africans in european languages. Traditional written literature, which is limited to a smaller geographic area than is oral literature, is most characteristic of those subsaharan cultures that have. Oral tradition and african theatre universiteit leiden. African literature african literature oral traditions and the written word. African literature the influence of oral traditions on. African concept of ubuntu traditional oral stories of african people have been woven out of the substance of human experience, struggles with the land and the elements, movement and migrations, wars. Its study has to go handinhand with the study of the people who practise the religion. Changes in societies generally lead to new forms of dramatic expression. The african american oral tradition and its rhetorical impact on american popular culture by janice d.
African novels, especially achebes, became the new proponents of african oral culture. Oral history is a form of west african oral tradition. Oral tradition consists of many forms in which knowledge and tradition is passed to the next generation. They tell us a great deal about the wisdom and values of west africans. The oral form or the oral tradition is the oldest literature and the most typical and genuine african bec ause it has been practiced for many centuries. Thus, a sense of history and tradition has always been part of the african way of life. When we speak of african traditional religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs. African traditional religion has grown out of the african soil. Characteristics of oral tradition in world literature video. Stories and oral histories documented the past, and were handed down from generation to generation.
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