Folktales West Africa’s oral tradition includes
hundreds of old stories called folktales
. West Africans used folktales to pass along their history and to teach young people morals and values. Many traditional folktales were brought to the Americas by West Africans who were sold into slavery beginning in the 1500s.
Why are oral traditions important for West Africa?
Oral Traditions make
it possible for a society to pass knowledge across genera- tions without writing
. They help people make sense of the world and are used to teach children and adults about important aspects of their culture. There is a rich tradition throughout Africa of oral storytelling.
What was the oral tradition in Africa?
The history of Africa is rich with oral tradition. Much of these traditions have been preserved by griots,
people who tell tales, speak proverbs and even sing songs
to pass down the traditions of their culture. Folktales and proverbs are both examples of African oral traditions.
What do West African oral traditions preserve?
A number of these writings were preserved in
mosques and Qur’anic schools
. Today they are a key source of information about West African history, legends, and culture. … Griots, or storytellers, continue the oral traditions of the West African culture. They also represent the importance of elders in West African Society.
How do West African written and oral traditions influence life today?
How do West African written and oral traditions influence life today?
The writings tells us about the heritage and culture
. … West African music has influenced gospel, jazz, blues, rock and roll, and rap. West African drumming and Afro-Cuban drumming are still popular around the world.
What is the importance of oral tradition?
However, oral tradition and history have long been a valuable tool
for preserving cultural and historical memory
. They preserve the history of the past, the events, and contribute to answering the how and why of human actions in the form of stories, legends, songs, speeches (McDonnell, 2003:99, …show more content…
What are the types of oral tradition?
Oral traditions can be categorized into different types, including
legends, myths, folktales, and memorates
. A memorate is an account of a personal experience or encounter with the supernatural, such as a ghost story or other expression of the spirit to a human being.
What are the characteristics of oral tradition?
- repetition of phrases to emphasize points or themes.
- interaction with the audience.
- strong rhythm and meter.
- music, costume, and props.
- idiomatic expressions.
- strong imagery.
- techniques such as onomatopoeia (creating sounds that imitate sounds found in nature)
What’s the meaning of oral tradition?
Oral tradition, also called orality, the first and still most widespread mode of human communication. Far more than “just talking,” oral tradition refers to
a dynamic and highly diverse oral-aural medium for evolving, storing, and transmitting knowledge, art, and ideas
.
What are griots and why are they important to West Africa?
The griot profession is
hereditary
and has long been a part of West African culture. The griots’ role has traditionally been to preserve the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people; praise songs are also part of the griot’s repertoire.
What is the West African culture?
West Africa forms the westernmost region of the African continent. People have occupied the area for thousands of years, and its population is ethnically diverse though culturally relatively similar. The beliefs of native cultures include
Islam, Christianity and various traditional African religions
.
How do oral traditions enrich our understanding of West African history?
West Africa’s oral histories tell us a more complete story than traditional post-colonial narratives. … These oral narratives are important modes of
transmitting knowledge
, especially as they bring alive histories that are not present in archives, books and other forms of literary tradition.
What is the oral tradition of storytelling?
Oral storytelling is
telling a story through voice and gestures
. The oral tradition can take many forms, including epic poems, chants, rhymes, songs, and more. Not all of these stories are historically accurate or even true. Truth is less important than providing cultural cohesion.
What instruments were used in West Africa?
African musical instruments include a wide range
of drums, slit gongs, rattles and double bells
, different types of harps, and harp-like instruments such as the Kora and the ngoni, as well as fiddles, many kinds of xylophone and lamellophone such as the mbira, and different types of wind instrument like flutes and …
How can we maintain oral tradition?
- Save the original tape as well as the transcript of the interview.
- Make an audio copy for public use, do not allow an original to be used.
- Store tapes away from magnetic fields.
How important is the oral tradition in music?
Oral tradition
fosters both the creativity and the stability of folk music
. So strong is the correlation of oral tradition with folk music that most definitions treat oral tradition as fundamental to folk music, if not its most salient feature.
