African Oral Literature

African Oral Literature: An Introduction guides us from the very beginnings of African oral traditions, through the whole range of theories and contexts, and right up to the modern technological age.

This comprehensive and engaging textbook covers the key concepts and methodologies behind the history, formation, delivery, and performance of oral literature. Folktales, proverbs, rhetoric, jokes, poetry, and theatre are explored in turn, before looking at compositional techniques, artistry, education, characterisation, and cosmology. The final part of the book investigates the interplay between oral traditions and technology such as social media in the twenty-first century. Drawing on traditional African pedagogy, the book weaves in African metaphors, rhetorical styles and performance modes, aiming for readers to imbibe African orality rhetoric page by page.

With key questions, exercises and further reading helping to guide readers at the end of each chapter, this book is the perfect introduction to the study of African oral literature.