• Think for a moment of the oral traditions in your own culture. When you were younger, did you learn nursery rhymes from your family or friends?– How about sayings such as “A penny saved is a

penny earned?

• List some sayings that you have heard from your parents, grandparents or other relatives

West African Culture

I can examine the importance of written and oral traditions in teaching and preserving African history and culture.

Learning Objective

I can examine the importance of written and oral traditions in teaching and preserving African history and culture.

Why do people tell stories?

• Every human culture in the world has created stories as a way of making sense of the world.

–Sharing the human experience - to express or communicate emotion, feelings, ideas, and information.

–Passing on tradition and culture - (e.g., storytelling, folktales, myths and legends)

–Recreational drama for entertainment

West African Culture

• Its culture is very diverse and includes:– Poems, stories, music and

visual arts

• One important cultural feature was its oral traditions – memorized stories, sayings, and the history of your city or town.

West African Storytelling• Africans love a good story and a good storyteller.

They are primarily an oral people and created to be performed with music and dance.

• Histories and stories of a people that come to us in a spoken and sung form are part of what is called an oral tradition.

• Because people hold the oral tradition in their

memory, sometimes the story changes with the telling. Have you ever played telephone?

Video

• Modern day griot explains ancient storytelling tradition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF2287N0kAc

What problems may result from keeping history only in oral form?

What is a Griot?• A griot is a West African storyteller-musician. A

griot doesn’t just tell stories. They typically accompany themselves on a stringed instrument. They still play an important role today—to tell people about the past, to keep their history alive, and to safeguard their traditional culture. They sing the history of a tribe or family at weddings, naming ceremonies, and other social and religious occasions.

(you were listening to a griot playing and singing)

Griot (storyteller)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISg3MTog9MA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6MY3v-WA94

What are some popular forms of telling stories in our culture

today?• Books

• Movies

• Television shows

• Plays

• Broadway musicals

• YouTube videos

• Magazines

Masks

• Masks were carved to resemble animals (hyenas, lions, monkeys)

• Masks were worn during special occasions or rituals

Cloth and Clothing

• Kente – a hand-woven brightly colored fabric

• Woven into long strips which were then sewn together to create fabric

• Worn on special occasions