Why were storytellers important in African society?
To some, African storytelling conjures up images of the village sage, the village philosopher, the mentor, to whom all bring their frustrations and fears and flawed but deeply felt yearnings. Yet, African storytelling is an art form, the storyteller a master craftsman who deploys his body, for example by using gestures and impersonations; the cadence of his voice; and the relationship he has with his audience in his telling of important history and other stories, including stories of heroism and past events. These stories have extraordinary power – once we are drawn in, we are putty in the hands of the storyteller. We accept the storyteller’s way of interpreting the world – at least for a short time. We cannot wait for the climax, so we wait for it.
African storytelling is a form of an oral tradition that entails a sensory union of image (with realistic images to describe the present and fantastical images to evoke the past) and idea, so that past is narrated in terms of the present, the fantastical imagery embodying the substance of the culture’s experience of the past. When realistic images of the present are skillfully woven into the fabric of ancient familiar images, metaphor is created and a transformation, of sorts, occurs. Lyrics, tales, riddles, proverbs and repetition of language and rhythm are typical of the structural devices used by the storyteller to take his audience on a timeless journey to an obscure, mysterious past where they meet their forebears and return from that journey, transfixed, transformed. A few of these devices are discussed below.
The nature of riddle in African storytelling
Riddle is rooted in our particular African experience. Similar to proverbs, riddles are expressed succinctly and often involve figurative comment, such as metaphor. Riddles typically involve analogy, whether of meaning, sound, rhythm, or tone. With African riddles, a statement is put forward and the listener is faced with an allusive sentence that is analogous to something else that they must then try to identify. European riddles are often puns or plays on words; African riddles involve an interplay of images, acoustic, visual or situational, and the riddle is presented as a phrase or statement that refers to a familiar object, couched in veiled language. Examples include the Tonga ‘Little things that defeat us’ (mosquitoes) the Fulani ‘Be born, come morning, give birth’ (fresh milk – milk is left overnight before being turned into butter) and the Zezuru ‘The little chap who plays the typewriter’ (the tongue). In riddling there is an interplay between the literal and the figurative, a relationship that entails metaphor, which is why the riddle underlies other oral forms such as African lyric poetry and the African folktale. During the process, the images in the metaphor evoke emotion, and, therefore, meaning.
Animal trickster tales in African oral tradition
Stories are how we make sense of our world. This is why we hear them as soon as we can talk (ergo, they are able to tap into our deepest memories). Stories teach us how things work and prepare us for a world we do not yet know. They are a good way of telling people truths you want them to remember. They feature people, animals, events and emotions and, as such, add important human interest to the message.
African folktales, another important form of African storytelling, are a prime literary form and reflect the nature of human relationships as well as that of human relationships with the animals with whom we must share the world. These tales are typically instructive, teaching morals and societal values; explanatory – for example offering explanations of natural phenomena – and entertaining. Importantly, they provide African peoples with a strong sense of their roots.
African folktales are divided into three parts: an opening section, a middle, an expository section, and a conclusion. After the opening, there is banter, comprising jokes and riddles. Once audience participation has been established, the storytelling event begins in earnest with a serious tone. The storyteller lays before his audience the scene and the characters; he then presents the conflict using imagery and symbolism. The tale is then brought to an end, the concluding part typically signposted by a moral statement about the issue or conflict.
Animal trickster tales are particularly popular in African oral tradition, entailing an animal trickster with human characteristics and habits. The Yoruba often use these trickster tales as a means of commenting on moral codes and correct social behaviour. As such, they are an important vehicle of African storytelling. Indeed, many children in Yorubaland are exposed to Ijapa (tortoise) tales. Ijapa is a mischievous character, and his modus operandi is to secure an advantage for himself with minimum effort or material resources. When there is not food, Ijapa tricks, steals and manipulates others, including his friends, to get his hands on food. Ijapa is indolent, greedy, and selfish. In African societies, Iwa (character) is the linchpin of morality and vital for the wellbeing of society. A person is evaluated based on their Iwa. According to the Ijapa folktales, there is a communal evaluation, founded on years of co-existence, experiences and empirical evidence that finds Ijapa bereft of iwa. Hence, ‘Ijapa, ko ni iwa’ (tortoise has no character). Through these tales, individuals learn of the vital importance of personhood in maintaining order in society, particularly that every person is held to certain standards of behaviour by society and that the rights and responsibilities of individuals must be honoured. In Yorubaland, personhood is codified in eniyan (person), and those who violate the personhood of others are often subject to epithets such as ki i se eniyan (he is not a person); similarly, those guilty of over-reach, such as Ijapa’s foil Omoluabi ( a good and honourable person) are termed ‘Alaseju’ (one who goes too far). If Omoluabi is the core of the person, then iwa is central in the making of a person, hence the Yoruba maxim Iwa rere leso eniyan (character is a person’s guard).
African storytelling is as relevant today as it has ever been. Kalim Kamara, a musician from Sierra Leone, concurs: storytelling is relevant and topical. In an interview with Reuters, he says:
‘There’s a story about truth, and how truth knocked on people’s doors and was always rejected and turned away. One day, parable took truth home, and fed truth and clothed truth in story. “Now truth… knocked on those people’s doors and this time was readily welcomed.’
African proverbs in oral tradition
Proverbs are an integral part of our culture and are integral to African storytelling tradition. Passed on from generation to generation, they illuminate thoughts and beliefs, reinforce arguments and deliver messages of celebration and consolation. The ‘proverbing’ process in African oral tradition is very similar to that of the riddle in that disparate images are brought together in a manner that is new, providing insight into the process. Some describe proverbs as a ‘riddle waiting to happen’. Examples are ‘Wisdom killed the wise man’ (country of origin unknown), ‘Teeth do not see poverty’ (Maasai) and ‘If you pick up one end of a stick you also pick up the other’ (Ethiopia).
By revisiting our African folktales, cogitating the riddles, proverbs, and lyrics, we will reconnect to the history, values, and traditions of our African cultures. These oral traditions are of priceless value; we must strive to preserve and honour them.
Do you feel proud of the African storytelling tradition? Let’s have a conversation below.
Sources
https://books.openedition.org/obp/1203?lang=en
https://af.reuters.com/article/idAFKBN1OH0S3-OZATP
https://matadornetwork.com/bnt/50-african-proverbs-to-get-you-thinking/
https://teachers.yale.edu/curriculum/viewer/initiative_09.01.08_u
