Oral Literature and Performance

The democratisation of South African society presents important challenges for southern African studies. Amongst the most pressing of these is the recuperation of a cultural history which has been suppressed by colonialism and apartheid. Oral forms have been important means of social articulation throughout the history of South Africa, and continue to adapt to new contexts. Yet oral forms have not been given central attention in cultural or social histories of this region, and the study of orality has only recently received impetus through political changes and developments in literary theory and oral performance studies. This guide contributes to current efforts to grant oral forms and research greater visibility and stature. The chapters suggest the complex and eloquent ways in which - despite the repressive and brutal political history of the region - African societies have expressed their concerns, understandings, insights and protests.;Drawing together contributions from literary studies, anthropology, ethno-musicology and African languages studies, the book analyses the complex functioning of oral texts and models in differing contexts. It examines the continuing role of orality in modern society, the adaptation of oral models to printed forms, and the ability of oral forms to 'talk back' to the technology of print.