African Oral Literature and the Humanities: Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

This paper examines the origin, evolution and emergence of folklore (oral literature) as an academic discipline in Africa and its place in the humanities. It draws attention to the richness of indigenous knowledge contained in oral literature and demonstrates how the ethical and moral gap in the existing educational system can be filled by the moral precepts embedded in oral literature. The paper argues that African oral literature has not received the attention it deserves among other disciplines of the humanities in institutions of higher learning in Africa. It concludes that any discussion on African literature will be incomplete, and indeed irrelevant, if it does not equally give adequate attention to the oral literature of the African people. As a result, a new curriculum and pedagogy must be designed to give pride of place to folklore and oral literature as the best repository of our cultural norms and values especially in African tertiary institutions.

Massurek: An Interpretation of Woman’s Power

“…As a system of knowledge, the Massurek oral tradition represented an ideology that was expressed through surek texts recited at the Maddoja bine ritual. Massurek oral tradition as generally oral tradition functioned as a communication medium that could connect past, present, and future lives [7].…”

English Oral Tradition for Tourists to Promote Environmental Conservation

“…In terms of oral literary form, [2] describes the following, namely: (1) proverb-petitih (a sentence or expression that contains a deep, broad, precise, subtle, and figurative meaning), (2) pantun ( poetry that is numerous and is often pronounced on various occasions), (3) mantra (the oldest poetry in literature and various other regional languages), ( 4) pasambahan (a two-party conversation, a dialogue between the pangka and the alek to convey the aims and objectives with respect), (5) lyrical prose or kaba.…”

Translating the Lampung Oral Literature into Music for Educational Purpose: A Case Study of Pisaan on the Indonesian Island of Sumatra

“…A large body of data concerning oral literature around the globe have been reported [1][2][3][4]. Oral literature itself refers to a subset of the massive field of knowledge widely recognized as "oral tradition" or "orality," a communication system in which information and messages are passed down verbally from one generation to the next.…”

“…Oral literature itself refers to a subset of the massive field of knowledge widely recognized as "oral tradition" or "orality," a communication system in which information and messages are passed down verbally from one generation to the next. The terms "oral literature" and "folklore" are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to the aspects shared by a group, such as language and belief systems, contributing to a community's cultural, and national identity [4]. In Indonesia, a country with its multilingual and multicultural contexts [5][6][7], the study of oral literature has become an important aspect of investigation [8][9][10].…”