ORATURE IN AN AFRICAN CONTEXT: VATSONGA AS A CASE IN POINT

Abstract

It has been argued that oral narrative is one of the oldest forms of literature among the Bantu people. It can still be contended that oral literature is the repository of the critical knowledge, philosophy, and wisdom for non-literate societies. This literature through narrative in the form of poetry, song, dance, myths and fables, as well as texts for religious rituals provides a portrait of the meaning of life as experienced by a given society at its particular time and place with its unique existential challenges. Oral literature plays a vital role in different aspects which include socio-cultural, economic and religious issues. It forms a popular culture which is not merely folksy, domestic entertainment but a domain in which individuals in a variety of social roles are free to comment on power relations in society. In African societies, and in this particular instant, among the Vatsonga, oral literature plays a very significant role in reconstructing society.