There are similarities and it is fascinating to read about african and. The concept of literature the word literature is used, today, first of all to refer to texts in such genres as fictional prose novels, short stories, and the like, poetry, and drama. The problems of translating african oral literary texts into 78 issn 20572611print, issn 2057262xonline their western equivalents nnamani, f. It examines the problems raised by transcription and translation of african oral literature, and suggests some possible solutions to these problems. There is a rich tradition throughout africa of oral storytelling. Africa possesses both written and unwritten traditions. Meja mwangi is a kenyan writer who began his writing career in the 1970s, a decade after compatriots ngugi wa thiongo and grace ogot had already published.
African literature african literature oral traditions and the written word. 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 written. African literature oral traditions and the written word. This revised edition makes finnegans groundbreaking research available to the next generation of scholars. Introduction to eastern african oral literature unit description this is an introductory unit with the overall objective of broadening the students perspective and understanding of oral literature through studying their own oral literature as it is expressed and studied in eastern africa. Oral literature in africa is part of our world oral literature series in conjunction with the world oral literature project. 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. It strives for comparative and interdisciplinary consideration of the emergence, passing on and interpretation of all forms of expression in the oral tradition. After this work, african literature will never be the same. After an introductory chapter, section 1 includes three chapters, the sources and origins of african oral literature and performance, fieldwork practice and research methodology in oral literature and performance, and archetypes. In addition to the insights i have gained from the extensive fieldwork and analyses undertaken by my students. Full text of oral literature in africa internet archive. Isidore okpewhos african oral literature is a marvelous piece of scholarship and wideranging research. It includes a new introduction, additional images and an updated bibliography, as well as its original chapters on poetry, prose, drum language and drama, and an overview of the social, linguistic and historical background of oral literature in africa.
Amongst the topics covered are translation problems, understanding proverbs, oral narrative as discourse, the use of audio visual aids in teaching, general and the politics of control, images of women in african oral literature, the relationship with material culture, and oral literature as part of oral traditions. The perception of african oral literature nineteenthcentury approaches and collections. The oral tradition journal, established in 1986, publishes articles on oral traditions and oral literature as well as related research. Throughout africa, oral literature is flourishing, though it is perceived by some as anachronistic to the modern world. Revisiting isidore okpewho orature and african literature.
Oral literature in africa by ruth finnegan, paperback. A history of south african literature this book is the. A mazisi kuneneisidore okpewho, for many years professor of english at the university of ibadan, is one of the handful of african scholars who has facilitated the growth of african oral literature to its status today as a literary enterprise concerned with the artistic foundations. Modern african literature is the natural inheritor of traditional african literature and though. In fact, the common denominator of the cultures of the african continent is undoubtedly the oral tradition. Mbooku is one of the translated oral poems that interest us in this study. Kenyan novelist ngugi wa thiongo mounts a nuanced but caustic political and social satire of african corruption of african society with a touch of magical realism or, perhaps, realistic magic, as the wizards tricks hung on holding a notsoenchanted mirror to his clients hidden delusions. Your donation is guaranteed to directly contribute to africans sharing their research output with a global readership.
Examples of traditional literature are divination text, drum language, poem, appellation, tales, songs. The theories will then be applied in the analysis of oral literature material. Vol 5 no 2 2008 african journal of oral health sciences. Ebscohost serves thousands of libraries with premium essays, articles and other content including oral literature research in malawi.
Examples of traditional literature are divination text, drum language, poem, appellation, tales, songs, riddles, proverbs, myths and legends. For many people around the worldparticularly in areas where history and traditions are still conveyed more through speech than in writingthe transmission of oral literature from one generation to the next lies at the heart of culture and memory. The digital editions of this book are free to download thanks to the generous support of interested readers and organisations, who made donations using the crowdfunding website unglue. Oral literature in africa world oral literature 9781906924706. This work refutes this idea in its entirety by presenting 22 chapters, which firmly place the study of oral literature within contemporary african existence. One of the features that probably characterize african cultural lore is the richness of oral genres variously known as oral literature or orature. It deals with the role of theory in the study of oral literature. In contrast to the common perception of european literature which generally refers only to written documents, african literature greatly involves and includes oral literature. Although written his tory existed for centuries in west af rica, most writing was in arabic, and the. While the european perception of literature generally refers to written letters, the african concept includes oral literature or orature, in the term coined by ugandan scholar pio zirimu.
I directorate of general studies, federal university of technology, owerri. African literature refers to literature of and from africa. It examines the problems raised by transcription and translation of african oral literature, and suggests some possible solutions to. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Finally, it is worthy to note that in modern times, literature has become one of africa. In an attempt to preserve this oral literature, several individual authors have collected tales, proverbs, riddles and published them in books. The social, linguistic, and literary background 51. Oral and written storytelling traditions have had a parallel development, and in many ways they have influenced each other. Ajol and the millions of african and international researchers who rely on our free services are deeply grateful for your contribution. Apr 06, 2016 by bernice bessey oral literature is a spoken word that has been transmitted from generation to generation. Born in nanyuki, kenya, in 1948, mwangi initially made a huge impact on the literary world with his first novel, kill me quick which was published in 1973 and received the jomo kenyatta prize for literature in 1974. Feb 07, 2012 in contrast to the common perception of european literature which generally refers only to written documents, african literature greatly involves and includes oral literature. This paper grapples with the question of choice of theory in the study of african oral literature. 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.
After decades of outstanding research, for which she was awarded an order of the british empire, oral literature in africa remains the book closest to finnegans heart. I know more about the oral tradition in nativeamerican culture than i do african culture but thats not a problem. It presents the most comprehensive survey of the field of oral literature in africa. Okpewho department of africana studies suny at binghamton binghamton, ny 9026000 tel. Oral literature is a spoken word that has been transmitted from generation to generation. Theory and methods in oral literature unit description the unit is an introduction to the theoretical approaches to the study of oral literature.
Traditionally, africans have revered good stories and storytellers, as have most past and present peoples around the world who are rooted in oral cultures and traditions. Oral literature in africa pdf open book publishers. African literature is literature of or from africa and includes oral literature or orature, in the term coined by ugandan scholar pio zirimu as george joseph notes in his chapter on african literature in understanding contemporary africa, whereas european views of literature often stressed a separation of art and content, african awareness is inclusive. African literature is highly diversified, even though it shows some similarities. It forms part of africas rich cultures that are expressed in diverse ways.
Africas long tradition of oral artistry still wields a remarkable influence on the contemporary life of its society zewde, 2000. Oral literature by ruth finnegan displays not only other forms of communication within the african culture but allows you to see that there are other effective ways to communicate. These clips, together with original photographs taken during her research, will be an invaluable resource to scholars of african literature and culture. Project muse introduction to african oral literature and. Historical and theoretical perspectives of literature anders pettersson encyclopedia of life support systems eolss 1. Historical and theoretical perspectives of literature. U directorate of general studies, federal university of technology, owerri amadi, a. Most prevalent of all, perhaps, and most fundamental for the study of african oral literature is the hidden feeling that this is not really literature at all. Ruth finnegans oral literature in africa was first published in 1970, and since then has been widely praised as one of the most important books in its field. Sidiky grew up learning an unwritten language, and therefore the transmission of folk tales and other stories by an oral means was very important in his culture.
The study and appreciation of oral literature is more important than ever for understanding the complexity of human cognition. First, there have been so many assumptions and speculations about both africa and oral literature that it is necessary to expose. Backgrounds, character, and continuity, african affairs, volume 94, issue 374, 1 january 1995, pages 12412 we use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. After reading oral literature in africa by ruth finnegan i know a little more. Oral or written, african literature and particularly nigerian, has gained recognition. The importance of oral literature many of you know that i have developed a special place in my heart for the oral literature tradition since i started working with sidiky last spring. 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. That is why i trace response to oral poetic performances as of the udje and ijala and the continuation into modern works in english, french, or portuguese, among others. The paper argues that while it is easy and desirable to choose a facilitative theory in the analysis of a written work of literature, such a process poses challenges when it comes to the oral type of african literature. The encyclopaedia of african literature, edited by simon gikandi routledge.
So much work has been done on african oral literature in the two decades since the publication of ruth finnegans epochmaking and immensely useful oral literature in africa that there is need for a more uptodate critical introduction such as i have tried to provide in this book. Because of the complexity of oral literature and the consequent lack of understanding associated. Writing on black africa started in the middle ages with the introduction of the arabic language and later, in the nineteenth century with introduction of. Translation in african oral literary text though the concept of translation has been quite problematic in the communication of human experience from time immemorial, the problem is. The significance of performance in actualization, transmission, and composition. If you are interested in anthropology and the literary traditions of a variety of african tribes, you. The perception of african oral literature 29 nineteenthcentury approaches and collections.
Recent trends in african studies and the revival of interest in oral literature. If you are interested in anthropology and the literary traditions of a variety of african tribes, you should pick up a copy of oral literature in africa today. The importance of song in africa oral literature aucccom. African literature possessing those qualities that define it as such. Of course early efforts at studying african oral literature were started in the 18th century by european missionaries and were geared towards linguistic studies meant primarily to aid the process. 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.
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