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Fay, Leann. "Human Connections with the Ocean Represented in African and Japanese Oral Narratives| Ecopsychological Perspectives." Thesis, California Institute of Integral Studies, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13419400.
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This dissertation demonstrates how characteristics and functions of African and Japanese oral narrative traditions make narratives about the ocean in these traditions useful for exploring some of the complex psychological roles the ocean plays in people’s lives. A background of these oral narrative traditions and the main characteristics and functions of African and Japanese oral narratives are identified from the literature, African and Japanese ecopsychological perspectives are outlined, and a hermeneutic methodology applies text analysis to identify connections between humans and the ocean represented in a selection of text versions of ocean oral narratives. African and Japanese oral narratives are transmitted in adaptable yet continuous traditions, reflective of self and group identity, used to serve social and community functions, connected to spiritual traditions, and used as tools for power or resistance to power. Intimate connections between humans and the ocean are represented in the selection of narratives. In African oral narratives, connections are represented including merging identities of the ocean and humans, contrasting of nurturing mother and dangerous mother elements, the ocean bringing children, extreme love, and taking extreme love, connections between the ocean and performance, and representations of the ocean in colonization, slavery, healing, and empowerment. In Japanese oral narratives, intimate connections are represented including magic gifts from the ocean, water deity wives, warnings of fishing, bodily sacrifice, and connections to spiritual traditions, people, and local places.
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Anoka, Victor Ahamefule [Verfasser]. "African Philosophy : An Overview and a Critique of the Philosophical Significance of African Oral Literature / Victor Ahamefule Anoka." Frankfurt : Peter Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, 2012. http://d-nb.info/1042471134/34.
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Berman, Julia E. "African American tropes in popular film /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2003. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p3091899.
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Mpola, Mavis Noluthando. "An analysis of oral literary music texts in isiXhosa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012909.
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This study examines the relationship between composed songs in isiXhosa and the field of oral literature. In traditional Xhosa cultural settings, poetry and music are forms of communal activity enjoyed by that society. Music and poetry perform a special social role in African society in general, providing a critique of socio-economic and political issues. The research analyses the relationship that exists between traditional poetry, izibongo, and composed songs. It demonstrates that in the same way that izibongo can be analysed in order to appreciate the aesthetic value of an oral literary form, the same can be said of composed isiXhosa music. The art of transmitting oral literature is performance. The traditional izibongo are recited before audiences in the same way. Songs (iingoma) stories (amabali) and traditional poetry (izibongo) all comprise oral literature that is transmitted by word of mouth. Opland (1992: 17) says about this type of literature: “Living as it does in the performance is usually appreciated by crowds of people as sounds uttered by the performer who is present before his/her audience.” Opland (ibid 125) again gives an account of who is both reciter of poems and singer of songs. He gives Mthamo’s testimony thus: “He is a singer… with a reputation of being a poet as well.” The musical texts that will be analysed in this thesis will range from those produced as early as 1917, when Benjamin Tyamzashe wrote his first song, Isithandwa sam (My beloved), up to those produced in 1990 when Makhaya Mjana was commissioned by Lovedale on its 150th anniversary to write Qingqa Lovedale (Stand up Lovedale). The song texts total fifty, by twenty-one composers. The texts will be analysed according to different themes, ranging from themes that are metaphoric, themes about events, themes that depict the culture of the amaXhosa, themes with a message of protest, themes demonstrating the relationship between religion and nature, themes that call for unity among the amaXhosa, and themes that depict the personal circumstances of composers and lullabies. The number of texts from each category will vary depending on the composers’ socio-cultural background when they composed the songs. Comparison will be made with some izibongo to show that composers and writers of izibongo are similar artists and, in the words of Mtuze in Izibongo Zomthonyama (1993) “bathwase ngethongo elinye” (They are spiritually gifted in the same way).
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Mostert, Andre. "Developing a systematic model for the capturing and use of African oral poetry: the Bongani Sitole experience." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002154.
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Oral traditions and oral literature have long contributed to human communication. The advent of arguably the most important technology, the written word, altered human ability to create and develop. However, this development for all its potential and scope created one of the most insidious dichotomies. As the written word developed so too the oral word became devalued and pushed to the fringes of societal development. One of the unfortunate outcomes has been a focus on the nomenclatures associated with orality and oral tradition, which although of importance, has skewed where the focus could and should have been located, namely, how to support and maintain the oral word and its innate value to human society in the face of what has become rampant technological developments. It is now ironic that technology is creating a fecund environment for a rebirth of orality. The study aims to mobilize technauriture as a paradigm in order to further embed orality and oral traditions to coherently embrace this changing technological environment. The central tenet of the study is that in order to enhance the status of orality the innate value embodied in indigenous knowledge systems must be recognized. Using the work of Bongani Sitole, an oral poet, as a backdrop the study will demonstrate a basic model that can act as a foundation for the effective integration of orality into contemporary structures. This is based on work that I published in the Journal of African Contemporary Studies (2009). Given the obvious multi-disciplinary nature of the material the work covers a wide cross section of the debate, from questions of epistemology and knowledge in general in terms of oral traditions, through the consciousness and technical landscapes, via the experience with Sitole’s material to issues of copyright and ownership. This work has also been submitted for publication together with my supervisor as a co-author. The study intends to consolidate the technauriture debate and lay a solid foundation to support further study.
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Dowling, Tessa. "The forms, functions and techniques of Xhosa humour." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17456.
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Bibliography: pages 259-274.In this thesis I examine the way in which Xhosa speakers create humour, what forms (e.g. satire, irony, punning, parody) they favour in both oral and textual literature, and the genres in which these forms are delivered and executed. The functions of Xhosa humour, both during and after apartheid, are examined, as is its role in challenging, contesting and reaffirming traditional notions of society and culture. The particular techniques Xhosa comedians and comic writers use in order to elicit humour are explored with specific reference to the way in which the phonological complexity of this language is exploited for humorous effect. Oral literature sources include collections of praise poems, folktales and proverbs, while anecdotal humour is drawn from recent interviews conducted with domestic workers. My analysis of humour in literary texts initially focuses on the classic works of G.B. Sinxo and S.M. Burns-Ncamashe, and then goes on to refer to contemporary works such as those of P.T. Mtuze. The study on the techniques of Xhosa humour uses as its theoretical base Walter Nash's The language of humour (1985), while that on the functions of Xhosa humour owes much to the work of sociologists such as Michael Mulkay and Chris Powell and George E.C. Paton. The study reveals the fact that Xhosa oral humour is personal and playful - at times obscene - but can also be critical. In texts it explores the comedy of characters as well as the irony of socio-political realities. In both oral and textual discourses the phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics of Xhosa are exploited to create a humour which is richly patterned and finely crafted. In South Africa humour often served to liberate people from the oppressive atmosphere of apartheid. At the same time humour has always had a stabilizing role in Xhosa cultural life, providing a means of controlling deviants and misfits.
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Mpolweni, Nosisi Lynette. "The orality - literacy debate with special reference to selected work of S.E.K. Mqhayi." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2004. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&.
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The focus of this thesis is on Xhosa oral and written poetry. The discussion in the thesis is based on the information from existing literature, the responses from the questionnaires and the interviews with some Xhosa iimbongi (person who sings praises) who have reflected on their personal experiences. In addition to this, S.E.K. Mqhayi is at the centre of discussion because as a prominent Xhosa imbongi he features in both the oral and the written world.
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Byrd, Gayle. "The Presence and Use of the Native American and African American Oral Trickster Traditions in Zitkala-Sa's Old Indian Legends and American Indian Stories and Charles Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2014. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/258606.
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EnglishPh.D.
The Presence and Use of the Native American and African American Oral Trickster Traditions in Zitkala-Sa's Old Indian Legends and American Indian Stories and Charles Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman My dissertation examines early Native American and African American oral trickster tales and shows how the pioneering authors Zitkala-Sa (Lakota) and Charles W. Chesnutt (African American) drew on them to provide the basis for a written literature that critiqued the political and social oppression their peoples were experiencing. The dissertation comprises 5 chapters. Chapter 1 defines the meaning and role of the oral trickster figure in Native American and African American folklore. It also explains how my participation in the Native American and African American communities as a long-time storyteller and as a trained academic combine to allow me to discern the hidden messages contained in Native American and African American oral and written trickster literature. Chapter 2 pinpoints what is distinctive about the Native American oral tradition, provides examples of trickster tales, explains their meaning, purpose, and cultural grounding, and discusses the challenges of translating the oral tradition into print. The chapter also includes an analysis of Jane Schoolcraft's short story "Mishosha" (1827). Chapter 3 focuses on Zitkala-Sa's Old Indian Legends (1901) and American Indian Stories (1921). In the legends and stories, Zitkala-Sa is able to preserve much of the mystical, magical, supernatural, and mythical quality of the original oral trickster tradition. She also uses the oral trickster tradition to describe and critique her particular nineteenth-century situation, the larger historical, cultural, and political context of the Sioux Nation, and Native American oppression under the United States government. Chapter 4 examines the African American oral tradition, provides examples of African and African American trickster tales, and explains their meaning, purpose, and cultural grounding. The chapter ends with close readings of the trickster tale elements embedded in William Wells Brown's Clotel; or, The President's Daughter (1853), Harriett Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861), and Martin R. Delany's Blake, or the Huts of America (serialized 1859 - 1862). Chapter 5 shows how Charles Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman rests upon African-derived oral trickster myths, legends, and folklore preserved in enslavement culture. Throughout the Conjure tales, Chesnutt uses the supernatural as a metaphor for enslaved people's resistance, survival skills and methods, and for leveling the ground upon which Blacks and Whites struggled within the confines of the enslavement and post-Reconstruction South. Native American and African American oral and written trickster tales give voice to their authors' concerns about the social and political quality of life for themselves and for members of their communities. My dissertation allows these voices a forum from which to "speak."
Temple University--Theses
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Nyoni, Triyono Johan. ""The Buttocks of a Snake" : Oral tradition in NoViolet Bulawayo's We Need New Names." Thesis, Karlstads universitet, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-70824.
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Baird, Pauline Felicia. "Towards A Cultural Rhetorics Approach to Caribbean Rhetoric: African Guyanese Women from the Village of Buxton Transforming Oral History." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1458317632.
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Gromov, Mikhail D. "East African Literature: Essays on Written and Oral Traditions. Ed. by J.K.S. Makokha, Egara Kabaji and Dominica Dipio. Berlin: Logos Verlag, 2011, 513 pp. ISBN 978-3-8325-2816-4." Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, 2013. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-qucosa-107482.
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Wanjema, Richard Wachira. "INTERACTIVE MEDIA and CULTURAL HERITAGE: Interpreting Oral Culture in a Digital Environment." The Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1343405232.
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Bokoda, Alfred Telelé. "The poetry of David Livingstone Phakamile Yali-Manisi." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17400.
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Bibliography: pages 217-232.Yali-Manisi, a Xhosa writer, performs and writes traditional praise poetry (izibongo) and modern poems (isihobe) and can, therefore, be regarded as a bard because he also performs his poetry. One can safely place him in the interphase as he combines performance and writing. The influence of oral poems and other oral genres can be perceived in his works as some of his works are a product of performances which were recorded, transcribed and translated into English. The dissertation, among other things, examines the way in which Yali-Manisi's work has been influenced by such manipulations. In this study we examine lzibongo Zeenkosi ZamaXhosa, lmfazwe kaMianjeni, Yaphum'igqina and other individually recorded poems. His poetry is characterised by an interaction between tradition and innovation. The impact of traditional poetic canon on the poet, the way of exploiting traditional devices are the most outstanding characteristics concerning his poetry. His optimistic disposition towards the future of the South African political situation leaves one with the impression that he envisages an end to the Black-White political dichotomy. Yali-Manisi manipulates literary forms to articulate specific socio-political and cultural attitudes which are dominant among the majority of South Africans. His writings coincide with some of the major political changes in South Africa. In his recent works, he is explicit and protests against Apartheid structures especially in Transkei and Ciskei. In his earlier works he could not articulate the feelings of his people as an imbongi because of the fear of censorship and themes of protests had to be handled with extreme caution if one's manuscripts were to be published at all. He often alludes to national oppression of the majority by the minority and instigates the former to be politically conscious. In some instances (e.g. in his historical poems) he seeks to correct inaccuracies which are presented in history books. Thus showing the listener/reader another side of the coin. He displays very keen interest and deep knowledge of natural phenomena such as seasons of the year and the behaviour of animals during each period. Poems about historical figures are characterised by certain allusions which refer to realities and events in the life of the 'praised one' or his forefathers. This helps to shed light on the present situation. Although fictitious adaptations of genuine events have been done, an element of reality is still prevalent.
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Lambert, Jade Maia. "Ama Ata Aidoo’s Anowa: Performative Practice and the Postcolonial Subject." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1133810135.
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Parvis, G. "IL TEMA DEL VIAGGIO INIZIATICO NELLA LETTERATURA DELL'AFRICA SUBSAHARIANA DALLA TRADIZIONE ORALE ALLA MODERNIZAZIONE ROMANZESCA (AMADOU HAMPATE' BA, AHMADOU KOUROUMA)." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2434/150563.
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This research work speaks about the initiation trip's subject in the African subsharian literature. Through a comparison between some oral tradition's tales (transcribed by Amadou Hampaté Ba) and two contemporary novels (L'étrange destin de Wangrin of Amadou Hampaté Ba and Monnè, outrages et défis of Ahmadou Kourouma), we analyze the subject's development from the oral to the written literature. In particular, we show how the colonization has changed the essence of this subject depending on the traditional vision. This study is seconded by the analysis of two essential variants of the selected subject: the character who makes the trip and the spaces where the journey happens. Our investigation also propose an historical and anthropological study on the initiation rites' general configuration and on the initiation in the writers' ethnic groups.
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Lambert, Jade Maia. "Ama Ata Aidoo's Anowa performative practice and the postcolonial subject /." Connect to this document online, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=miami1133810135.
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Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Theatre, 2005.Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [1], iv, 57 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-57).
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Perez, Jeannina. "Matrilineal memories : revisionist histories in three contemporary Afro-American women's novels." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2008. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/1127.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf.edu/Systems/DigitalInitiatives/DigitalCollections/InternetDistributionConsentAgreementForm.pdf You may also contact the project coordinator, Kerri Bottorff, at kerri.bottorff@ucf.edu for more information.Bachelors
Arts and Humanities
English
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Silva, Ana Luiza de Oliveira e. "\'Sobre as pegadas dos antigos, preparem um amanhã africano\': a coleção de contos e lendas de Boubou Hama e seus projetos para a África." Universidade de São Paulo, 2016. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/8/8138/tde-08022017-130016/.
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Este trabalho trata da trajetória de um intelectual e político do Níger, uma das colônias da então chamada África Ocidental Francesa, ao longo do século XX. Interessado pelas culturas de povos que compunham aquela região do continente, Boubou Hama trabalhou arduamente pela coleta e salvaguarda de costumes e tradições de modo a preservar e divulgar aquele arcabouço cultural. A partir da aproximação de algumas de suas obras escritas, buscamos investigar seus projetos político-intelectuais e relacioná-los à produção de uma coletânea em especial, intitulada Contes et légendes du Niger [Contos e lendas do Níger]. Tanto durante o período colonial quanto após a independência nigerina, que se deu em 1960, Boubou Hama procurou fazer com que a África conhecesse seus próprios valores e concepções de mundo. Para ele, a preservação da cultura compunha um passo chave para o que idealizava em relação ao futuro do Níger e do continente africano como um todo.This thesis broaches the trajectory of a Nigerien intellectual and politician throughout the 20th century. Boubou Hama was a man deeply interested in the cultures of West African peoples. He worked hard to collect and safeguard costumes and traditions, so that the African past and present culture could be kept alive. Through the reading of some of his books, I aim to investigate his political-intellectual projects and relate them to one piece in particular, entitled Contes et légendes du Niger [Tales and legends of Niger]. During French colonial rule, as well as after Nigerien independence (1960), Boubou Hama channelized his struggle and actions to the spread of knowledge about African values and worldviews. For him, the preservation of culture was a key step in the plan he envisaged for Nigers future and for Africa as a whole.
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Kasende, Luhaka Anyikoy. "Survivance de l'art oral traditionnel dans le roman négro-africain d'expression française : "Karim" d'Ousmane Socé, et "Les soleils des indépendances" d'Akmadou Kourouma." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/7475.
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L'etude de la survivance de l'art oral traditionnel dans le roman negro-africain d'expression francaise, cas de Karim d'Ousmane Soce et des Soleils des independances d'Ahmadou Kourouma, aborde en trois chapitres les differents aspects importants suggeres implicitement par la formulation meme du sujet de cette these dans une perspective a la fois ethnologique, sociocritique et textuelle. Le premier chapitre, s'appuyant sur des donnees theoriques, circonscrit en la precisant et en l'integrant dans le contexte du milieu traditionnel negro-africain la notion de l'oralite a la fois comme litterature et comme art. Les autres points de ce chapitre determinent les criteres esthetiques et structurels de l'oralite comme art et presentent les deux univers imaginaires des romans choisis dans cette etude comme cadre de production ou de realisation de l'oralite. Le deuxieme chapitre releve des univers romanesques tous les enonces de la litterature orale, en analyse le contexte d'usage et les interprete au niveau syntagmatique selon la logique et les donnees representant les referents extratextuels. Deux tableaux a la fin de ce chapitre explicitent la correspondance entre la thematique de chaque roman et la valeur affirmative de differents enonces de la litterature orale utilises par l'auteur, eclairant ainsi la place de l'oralite dans les romans. Le troisieme chapitre degage des univers des romans les differentes caracteristiques de l'oralite en tant que techniques narratives, etablit le rapport fonctionnel entre ces dernieres et les thematiques ou les theses des romans tout en demontrant que ce choix narratif et structurel participe de la strategie discursive globale des auteurs pour le besoin des theses qu'ils soutiennent.
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Creus, Boixaderas Jacint. "Cicle de les rondalles de Ndjambu en el context de la literatura oral dels ndowe, El." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/724.
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Dintre del corpus de la narrativa oral dels ndowe (zona costanera del sud del Camerun, de la Guinea Equatorial continental i del nord del Gabon) existeix un grup de rondalles que presenten un tret distintiu original: el fet de compartir un cert nombre de personatges, que hi són perfectament tipificats: i que figuren una família, el cap de la qual s'anomena "Ndjambu" (nom de l'avantpassat mític).L'estudi d'aquestes rondalles pretén copsar-ne el funcionament i el significat. El punt de partida per a això són els estudis de Vladimir Propp i d'altres investigadors: i, a més a més d'aplicar-hi el mètode formalista del teòric rus, vol ampliar la recerca envers determinats punts en què Propp va incidir poc:
* el concepte teòric de rondalla, en oposició al concepte de llegenda.
* el criteri de classificació.
* la importància estructural dels personatges.
Dintre del cicle, els començaments de les rondalles esdevenen determinants: la dissort que un personatge concret introdueix en una situació inicial sostinguda per personatges concrets, dóna lloc a una trama narrativa que es desenvolupa a partir d'oposicions simples; i permet la seva adscripció a un sistema de grups i subgrups, dintre del qual es poden arribar a precisar:
- Rondalles que funcionen com a nucli del cicle i rondalles que en són complementàries.
- Rondalles on personatges determinats assumeixen una funció estructural i rondalles on els mateixos personatges acompleixen una funció biogràfica.
Enfront de la divisió clàssica dels gèneres narratius orals (rondalla = inversemblant; llegenda = vertadera), es consideren els gèneres a partir de l'oposició dels tipus d'heroi que es poden trobar en el conjunt de la literatura oral ndowe: i la introducció del concepte normatiu de versemblança fa descubrir la lògica interna del cicle: la defensa de l'ordre tradicional, basat en la familia i el culte als avantpassats.
Finalment, els paral·lelismes que hom pot establir entre aquestes rondalles i algunes societats iniciàtiques, sobretot femenines, assenyalen l'origen probable del cicle i el situen en el context de tota una colla de manifestacions socials, religioses i culturals, que tenen l'objectiu comú de defensar la societat tradicional enfront del nou ordre occidental.
In the corpus of the oral narrative art of the Ndowe (coastal zone of Southern Cameroons, of continental Equatorial Guinea and of Northern Gabon) there is a group of folk-tales which have an original distinctive feature: the fact of sharing a certain quantity of characters, who are there perfectly typified: and who represent a family, whose head is called "Ndjambu" (name of the mythical ancestor).
The study of these tales seeks to capture their operation and meaning. Starting point for this are Vladimir Propp's and other researchers' studies; and, besides applying the formalistic method of the Russian theoretician, it wishes to enlarge the research towards specific items which Propp fall into scarcely:
* the theoretical concept of folk-tale, in opposition to the concept of legend.
* classification criterion.
* characters' structural importance.
Inside the cycle, beginnings of the tales become determining: the disgrace that a specific character brings in an initial situation kept by specific characters, causes a narrative plot which develops from simple oppositions: and it allows their attachment to a system of groups and subgroups, inside which can be determined:
- tales which work as nucleus of the cycle and tales which are their complementary ones.
- tales where specific characters assume a structural function and tales where the same characters assumes a biographic function.
Facing the classical division of the oral narrative genres (folk-tale = unlikely: legend = true), genres are considered from the opposition of the hero patterns which can be found in the whole of the Ndowe oral literature: and the introduction of the normative concept of verisimilitude gets to discover the cycle inside logic: the defence of the traditional order, based on family and homage to ancestors.
Finally, the parallelisms which can be established between these folk-tales and some initiation societies, especially feminine ones, indicate the likely origin of the cycle; and it places it in the context of a whole group of social, religious and cultural manifestations, which have the common aim of defending traditional society facing the new occidental order.
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Elisamia, Mrikaria Steven. "Fasihi Simulizi na teknolojia mpya." Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig, 2012. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:15-qucosa-100843.
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Over 50 years ago, Marshall McLuhan (2003), a specialist in communication issues, said that the world is becoming smaller and smaller every starting day, a result of the emergence of modern communication around the world. This situation has given birth to the conept `new technology´. This article will break down this new concept by looking at it through the lens of oral literature, which is used in Swahili communities. However, oral Swahili literature uses Kiswahili language, which is the languagge of communication at different levels throughout East and central Africa. The article will examine the ideals and opinions connected to oral literature described in the existing academic literature, and as one of the genres of narrative literature. It will look at the way in which the concept of new technology is explained by specialists, and in which ways this connects to oral literature. Advantages and effects which came about in the society after the coming of this notion will be discussed. The article ends with a conclusion and possible recommendations.
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Deubel, Tara Flynn. "Between Homeland and Exile: Poetry, Memory, and Identity in Sahrawi Communities." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/146067.
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Sahrawi communities in the Western Saharan region of northwest Africa have experienced a series of radical shifts over the past century from decentralized nomadic tribal organization to colonial rule under the Spanish Sahara (1884-1975) and annexation by Morocco and Mauritania in 1975. The international dispute over the future of the Western Sahara remains unresolved between the Moroccan government that administers the territory and the Sahrawi opposition that seeks self-determination under the leadership of the Polisario Front. In this context, this dissertation explores the lived experience and social memory of Sahrawis affected by conflict, diaspora, and urbanization over the past thirty-five years by examining multivocal expressions of ethnic and gender identity, nationalism, and citizenship in personal narratives and oral poetry in Hassaniyya Arabic. Through modes of everyday speech and verbal performances, Sahrawis living in the undisputed region of Morocco and the disputed Western Sahara exhibit varying political allegiances linked to tribal and national affiliations and political economic factors. Pro-independence activists negotiate public and clandestine aspirations for an independent state with the realities of living under Moroccan administration while refugees in Algeria employ performance genres to appeal for political and humanitarian support in the international community and maintain communication in the Sahrawi diaspora. Intergenerational perspectives between Sahrawis born before and after the 1975 cleavage reveal key divergences between the older generation that retains an active memory of nomadic livelihoods and pre-national tribal organization, the middle generation affected by a massive shift to urban residence and compulsory postcolonial nationalism, and the younger generation raised primarily in urban environments and refugee camps. Across generations, Sahrawi women have retained a prominent role in maintaining tribal and family ties and serving as leaders in nationalist and social movements.
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Kozain, Rustum. "Contemporary english oral poetry by black poets in Great Britain and South Africa : a comparison between Linton Kwesi Johnson and Mzwakhe Mbuli." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20139.
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Bibliography: pages 242-266.The general aims of this dissertation are: to study a form of literature traditionally disregarded by a text-bound academy; to argue that form is an important element in ideological analyses of the poetry under discussion; and, on the basis of this second aim, to argue for a comparative, rigorously critical approach to the poetry of Mzwakhe Mbuli. Previous evaluations of Mbuli's poetry are characterised by acclaim which, the author contends, is only possible because of under-researched criticism, representing a general trend in South African literary culture. Compared to Linton Kwesi Johnson's work, for instance, Mbuli's poetry does not emerge as the innovative and progressive art - in both content and form - it is claimed to be. Mbuli and his critics are thus read as a case study of a general trend. Johnson and Mbuli mainly perform their poetry with musical accompaniment and distribute it as sound-recording. This study's approach then differs from the approaches of general oral literature studies because influential writers on oral literature - specifically Walter J. Ong, Ruth Finnegan and Paul Zumthor - do not address the genre under investigation here. Nevertheless, their writings are explored in order to show why particularly Ong and Finnegan's approaches are inadequate. The author argues that using the orality of the poetry as an organising, theoretical principle is insufficient for the task at hand. On cue from Zumthor, this study suggests an approach through Cultural Studies and conceives of the subject matter as popular culture.
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Costa, Pollyana dos Santos Silva. "A formação da identidade cabo-verdiana na obra de Germano Almeida." reponame:Repositório Institucional da UnB, 2018. http://repositorio.unb.br/handle/10482/32544.
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Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Letras, Departamento de Teoria Literária e Literaturas, 2018.Submitted by Fabiana Santos (fabianacamargo@bce.unb.br) on 2018-08-27T20:19:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2018_PollyanadosSantosSilvaCosta.pdf: 1417992 bytes, checksum: a64226de196d22fe6ca91e8685994a31 (MD5)
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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes).
Esta tese analisa a representação que o escritor Germano Almeida faz da identidade de Cabo Verde em seus textos. A partir da investigação sobre aspectos que marcaram a formação da nação, desde o período colonial até as lutas pela libertação, procuro identificar o discurso que concorreu para a construção do modo de ser cabo-verdiano. Nesse sentido, meu olhar se volta para as estratégias utilizadas pela elite letrada que assumiu o controle da nação após a independência, grupo do qual o escritor estudado faz parte. Como referenciais teóricos, foram fundamentais, neste trabalho, os estudos de Homi Bhabha sobre as estratégias de identificação cultural utilizadas na construção da nacionalidade. Tomei como suporte as considerações de Alberto Melucci, para quem o grupo em formação define sua identidade referindo-se a um mito totalizante. Também me baseei nas reflexões do sociólogo cabo-verdiano José Carlos Gomes dos Anjos sobre o papel de mediador cultural e político desempenhado pelos intelectuais do país na consolidação da identidade crioula. Para analisar as relações entre a memória e a identidade coletiva, me fundamentei nos estudos de Maurice Halbwachs e de Paul Ricoeur. As pesquisas de Carlo Ginzburg e Paul Zumthor alimentaram minhas reflexões sobre a influência das matrizes africanas e europeias na identidade cultural cabo-verdiana, representadas a partir da literatura oral de Germano Almeida.
This thesis analyzes how writer Germano Almeida represents Cape Verde‟s identity in his works. From an investigation about aspects that had an impact in the formation of the nation, from the colonial period to the struggles for liberation, I try to identify the discourse that helped build the Cape Verdean lifestyle. Therefore, I pay special attention to the strategies used by the highly educated elite who took control of the nation after independence, group to which the studied writer belongs. As theoretical references, the studies by Homi Bhabha about the strategies of cultural identification used in building nationality were essential to this work. I used Alberto Melucci‟s thinking as support; for him, as a group forms, it defines its identity referring to a totalizing myth. I also based myself on the reflections by Cape Verdean sociologist José Carlos Gomes dos Anjos about the cultural and political mediator role played by the country‟s intellectuals in the consolidation of the creole identity. In order to analyze the relationship between memory and collective identity, I based myself on the studies by Maurice Halbwachs and Paul Ricoeur. Carlo Ginzburg and Paul Zumthor‟s research added to my reflections about the influence of African and European origins on the Cape Verdean cultural identity, represented from Germano Almeida‟s oral literature.
La siguiente tesis, tiene como finalidad el análisis de la identidad de Cabo Verde, a partir de los textos bibliográficos presentados por el escritor Germano Almeida, incursionando en la investigación, sobre aspectos que marcaron la formación de la nación,- desde el período colonial hasta las luchas por la liberación- de esta manera busco identificar el discurso que dio origen a la construcción del modo de ser caboverdiano. En ese sentido, mi enfoque se orienta hacia las estrategias utilizadas por la élite con alto nivel de alfabetización, que asumió el control de la nación después de la independencia, grupo del cual el escritor estudiado era parte integrante. En la confección de este trabajo, fueron de vital importancia los referenciales teóricos, basados en los estudios de Homi Bhabha sobre las estrategias de identificación cultural utilizadas en la construcción de la nacionalidad. Tomé como base de apoyo las consideraciones de Alberto Melucci, para quien el grupo en formación define su identidad, refiriéndose a un mito totalizante. También me basé en las reflexiones del sociólogo caboverdiano José Carlos Gomes dos Anjos, sobre el papel de mediador cultural y político, desempeñado por los intelectuales del país en la consolidación de la identidad criolla. Para analizar las relaciones entre la memoria y la identidad colectiva, me fundamenté en los estudios de Maurice Halbwachs y de Paul Ricoeur. Las investigaciones de Carlo Ginzburg y Paul Zumthor profundizaron mis reflexiones sobre la influencia de las matrices africanas y europeas en la identidad cultural caboverdiana, representadas a partir de la literatura oral de Germano Almeida.
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Carovani, Anne M. "Uneigentliche Differenz." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/19768.
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Die Arbeit untersucht Differenzdiskurse zu zwei historischen sozialen Identitäten im Manden (Westafrika) anhand mündlich und schriftlich tradierter Texte unterschiedlicher Sprachen (Bambara, Französisch, Deutsch, Englisch) und Genres (Reisebericht, Preislied (fasa), Epos (maana), Roman, Märchen (nsiirin), Lied (donkili)), die zwischen dem 14. bis 21. Jahrhundert erschienen sind.
Die Differenz von horon, dem Edlen, Freien und jeli, dem 'Handhaber des Wortes' wird dabei höchst unterschiedlich als komplexer Beziehungsmodus diskursiv und performativ hervorgebracht und gestaltet. Als uneigentliche Differenz bildet sie sich unter der Prämisse des Schamprinzips vor allem entlang der jeweils vorgenommenen Zuschreibungen von freigiebigem Renommee-Suchenden und erbittendem Panegyriker.
Die analysierten Texte, die den Zeitraum von Beginn des mittelalterlichen Mali-Reiches bis Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts als intradiegetisches Setting haben, verhandeln die Differenz entsprechend spezifischer Wirkungsintentionen von einer Außenseiter-Perspektive, z.T. zur Legitimation kolonialer Absichten oder von einer Insider-Perspektive aus, um, teils politisch motiviert, das eigene kulturelle Erbe zu valorisieren oder auch um (historische) Mißstände anzuprangern. Dabei wird die Differenz von jeli und hↄrↄn unterschiedlich ausgestaltet, mit dem horon als Helden (ŋana, cεfarin), König (mansa, faama), Gastgeber (jatigi) und dem jeli als Meisterredner/sänger (ŋaara), Reputations-Verantwortlichen, Klienten des jatigi.
Literatur wie Differenz wird als rhetorischer Ort kreativer Verhandlungen, strategischer (Neu)schöpfungen betrachtet, durch welche die jeweiligen Akteure spezifische Interessen verfolgen und damit variabel an Diskursen und damit an Wirklichkeiten mitgestalten. Jeli und horon verändern sich als literarische Konstruktion in Abhängigkeit von ästhetischen und ideologischen Strategien.The present work examines discourses of difference about two historical social identities in Manden (West Africa) using oral and written literary texts of different languages (Bambara, French, German, English) and genres (travelogue, praise song (fasa), epic (maana), novel, fairy tale, song (dↄnkili)), published between the 14th to the 21st century. The difference between horon, the noble, the free, and jeli, the 'handler of the word', is produced and shaped in a highly differentiated way as a complex mode of relation(ship) in a discursive and performative manner. As an improper difference it is formed under the premise of the principle of shame, especially along the attributions made between the generous rewards seeker and the panegyrical requester. The analysed texts, which have the period from the beginning of the medieval Mali empire to the middle of the 20th century as an intradiegetic setting, negotiate the difference according to specific intended effects from an outsider perspective, eg. for purposes of legitimacy of colonial intentions or from an insider perspective, partly politically motivated, in order to valorise one's own cultural heritage or to denounce (historical) grievances. The difference between jeli and hↄrↄn appears in varying ways, with the horon as hero (ŋana, cεfarin), king (mansa, faama), host (jatigi) and the jeli as master-singer/-orator (ŋaara), reputational entrepreneur, client of a jatigi. Literature and Difference are considered both as a rhetorical place of creative negotiation, of strategic (re)creation, through which the respective actors pursue specific interests and thereby participate in shaping discourses and thus realities. The jeli, who is at the same time performer, narrator and protagonist of many narratives, and the horon, determined by his status and his ethos, change as a literary construction depending on aesthetic and ideological strategies.
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Obsieh, Moussa Souleiman. "L'oralité dans la littérature de la Corne de l'Afrique : traditions orales, formes et mythologies de la littérature pastorale, marques de l'oralité dans la littérature." Thesis, Dijon, 2012. http://www.theses.fr/2012DIJOL016/document.
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La Corne de l’Afrique comme le reste du continent noir possède une littérature orale traditionnelle riche et variée, qui va de la mythologie pastorale à la poésie en passant par la légende et le conte. Avec les bouleversements sociaux intervenus avec l’arrivée des colons européens et l’introduction de l’écriture, la chaîne de transmission de la tradition orale est menacée. De nombreux Européens ont cherché à décrire les us et coutumes de ces populations. D’autre part, les écrivains de la Corne de l’Afrique s’inspirent souvent de l’oralité en lui octroyant ainsi une nouvelle virginité. Le présent travail de recherche s’efforce de rendre compte des formes traditionnelles de l’oralité et de leur impact sur la littérature moderneThe Horn of Africa has a traditional oral literature which is rich and varied as the rest of the continent, starting from pastoral mythology to poetry, legend and storytelling. But with the social upheaval which occurred with the arrival of European settlers and the introduction of writing, the chain of transmission of the oral tradition is threatened. Many Europeans have sought to describe the habits and customs of these people. Whereas on the other hand, the writers from the Horn of Africa are often inspired by giving it (orality) and a new way of doing it. The following research work strives to reflect traditional forms of orality and their impact on modern literature
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Sekhoela, William Godwright. "Account-giving in the narratives of personal experience in Sepedi." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/1200.
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Beney, François. "Contribution à la valorisation du conte africain issu de la tradition orale pour son inscription dans les patrimoines culturels nationaux : exemple de la Côte d'Ivoire." Phd thesis, Université Rennes 2, 2007. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00199450.
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Participer à la reconnaissance de la littérature orale est une des missions de la Maison Régionale des Conteurs d'Afrique, en cours de création à Yamoussoukro, capitale politique de la République de Côte d'Ivoire. Véritable porte voix, elle a pour vocation le recueil des contes, leur diffusion bilingue et, ce faisant, leur inscription dans la patrimoine culturel de la Nation ivoirienne. Recueillir oralement des histoires, comme autant d'humbles témoignages d'un temps qui "va et vient", que portent des voix à leur rythme pour mieux nous transporter! Diffuser cette "littérature" dans les langues natives nationales et en langue française! Ce sont deux des actions essentielles que ce travail se propose de décrire. Nous avons choisi la Côte d'Ivoire où six collectages ont été réalisés de 1999 à 2006 au cours desquels 132 contes ont été enregistrés. Les 27 premiers d'entre deux, recueillis en langue baoulé ont permis la réalisation, à titre expérimental, d'un classement adapté aux récits contés. Les 105 contes présentés ici constituent la base de données du corpus actuel dont 91 sont présentés, transcrits dans les 2 langues nationales de recueil que sont le baoulé et le sénoufo puis traduits en français littéral et 14, recueillis en langue nationale bété sont uniquement traduits en français littéraire. Le travail de transcription et de traduction terminé, une fiche signalétique créée pour chaque récitant de conte est complétée et les données enregistrées à des fins d'exploitation. Pour conclure, tout en situant les résultats du travail d'analyse à leur juste niveau compte tenu de la taille modeste de l'échantillon soumis à son traitement, nous disposons d'un outil susceptible d'assurer, à terme, l'exploitation de nouvelles données. Enfin, sachant que ce travail de recherche a pour ambition de participer à la sauvegarde et la reconnaissance de la littérature orale dans ce chaleureux pays, nous formons le voeu qu'il dépasse les frontières et inspire le monde francophone.
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Paynter, Eleanor. "Witnessing Emergency: Testimonial Narratives of Precarious Migration to Italy." The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1582996945730084.
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Kaschula, Russell H. "Imbongi and griot: toward a comparative analysis of oral poetics in Southern and West Africa." 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59379.
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This article takes up the challenge of comparative research in Africa by analysing and comparing the oral art of West African griots and Southern African iimbongi or oral poets. Similarities and differences between these performers and their respective societies are highlighted through the use of an ethnographic methodology. A distinction is drawn between the more traditional performers such as Thiam Anchou and D.L.P. Yali-Manisi, and the more modern performers such as M’Bana Diop, Bongani Sitole and Zolani Mkiva. The rich use of genealogy and history in the more traditional performances is highlighted. In comparing the work of the more contemporary, urban poets such as M’bana Diop of Senegal and Zolani Mkiva from Southern Africa, similarities are found in their performances on post-independence leaders such as Senghor and Mandela. Political pressures which have been brought to bear on the performer are also discussed. This article explores the continuity between the past and the present in relation to aspects such as the following: how performers gain recognition, their continued survival, their relationship with politics and religion, the orality- literacy debate, and the stylistic techniques used by these performers. Wherever possible, examples of performers and their work are provided.
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Maake, Nhlanhla Paul. "Trends in the formalist criticism of Western poetry and African oral poetry : a comparative analysis of selected case studies." Thesis, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/17266.
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This thesis sets off from an a priori hypothetical position that the universality
of certain language features, particularly poetic expression, provides an opportunity
for syncretism in the reading, analysis, explication, and interpretation of African
literature, specifically oral poetry, our teleological point being the formulation of a
syncretic approach.
In the first chapter we undertake an overview of the debate which has been
ensuing among 'African' critics in the search of an 'African' poetics. We proceed, in
the second and third chapters, to undertake a study of two 'Western' schools of
thought, namely Formalist-Structuralism and New Criticism, with a view to setting
the critical theories and practice of some major protagonists of these schools of
thought against sample readings of African oral poetry. In the fourth and fifth
chapters we proceed to select and analyse some of the most prominent critics of
African oral poetry, and undertake detailed case studies of their critical assumptions
and practice, in retrospective comparison with the theoretical paradigms and practical
readings dealt with in chapters two and three.
In the sixth and final chapter we assess the syncretic approach suggested,
together with its implications for the future research and teaching of African oral
poetry. Our findings suggest that the case studies of critiques of African oral poetry
reveal certain shortcomings which might have been strengthened by a perspicacious
awareness of Formalist-Structuralist and New Critical methodology.
From this postpriori perspective we suggest a syncretic approach which, in its
sensitivity to the idiosyncratic features of African languages, will at the same time
acknowledge, adopt and adapt sophisticated poetical analyses which have been
developed by Western poetics. Our findings also suggest specific ways in which
Western standards could be evaluated with a considerable degree of exactitude. We
conclude by, inter alia, opening directions of research which could advance the
debate towards an African poetics beyond doctrinaire wrangle, so that progress can
be made through further close studies of other schools of thought and theories in
order to assess their applicability and/or adaptability to African poetry and other
genres.Afrikaans and Theory of Literature
D. Litt et Phil (Theory of Literature)
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Possa, Rethabile Marriet. "The place of oral literature in the 21st century : a perspective on Basotho proverbs." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/19849.
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This study examines contemporary Sesotho proverbs with an attempt at establishing
whether they perform a significant role in society. The research highlighted the fact that
they have a role to play in the 21st century. Although not commonly used as in the
traditional setup, contemporary proverbs have their place as a day to day activity. In terms
of language development they also add value to language change and providing alternatives
in the world of challenges. Through interviews and the questionnaire, the research, indeed,
showed that contemporary proverbs' survival is guaranteed. Their survival in this modem
world is of great importance in this research.
The observation was that some of these contemporary proverbs are the same as traditional
proverbs in many aspects which include their origin and structure. Some of the
contemporary proverbs use or adopt familiar patterns to express new truths, thus reflecting
on new events or aspects of the modern society. The possibility is that those that adopt the
structure of the Sesotho traditional proverbs have all the chance of staying in the language.
Some of these contemporary proverbs, however, survive on the premise that they are jokes
created for fun by youth and other members of the creative section of the society.African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)
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Jay-Rayon, Laurence. "La traduction des motifs sonores dans les littératures africaines europhones comme réactivation du patrimoine poétique maternel." Thèse, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1866/5879.
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Plusieurs monographies récentes se sont intéressées à la traduction des littératures africaines europhones (Gyasi 2006, Bandia 2008, Batchelor 2009), faisant valoir le concept d’autotraduction (au sens métaphorique) et insistant sur le fait que ces écritures sont porteuses d’une oralité ou de marques linguistiques issues des langues parlées par les écrivains. Toutefois, la question de l’hybridité comme point de jonction entre littératures orales et écrites a encore rarement été examinée sous un angle poétique et c’est précisément dans cet esprit que cette recherche a été entreprise. Dans un premier temps, à partir des ouvrages originaux de six auteurs, trois d’expression littéraire anglaise (Farah, Hove et Armah) et trois d’expression littéraire française (Waberi, Adiaffi et Djebar), je montre en quoi ces écritures méritent d’être qualifiées de poétiques avant de mettre cette esthétique en relation avec le patrimoine littéraire de chacun des auteurs du corpus; ponctuellement, d’autres affiliations littéraires sont mises en évidence. Cette poétique est examinée dans sa dimension mélopoéique (Pound 1954), c’est-à-dire sous l’angle des structures audibles, appelées aussi figures de style jouant sur la forme phonétique des mots (Klein-Lataud 2001). Dans un second temps, j’examine comment cette poétique sonore a été recréée, tant de manière qualitative que quantitative, dans les traductions de Bardolph, de Richard et de J. et R. Mane (pour les auteurs d’expression anglaise) et de Garane, de Katiyo et de Blair (pour les auteurs d’expression française). Les enjeux associés à la réactivation des structures poétiques sonores sont mis en évidence dans le dernier chapitre qui propose un tour d’horizon des modalités de « consommation » de l’objet littéraire et qui s’achève sur les questions soulevées par la progression du livre audio.
La méthodologie élaborée dans ce cadre s’inspire essentiellement de Berman (1995) et de Henry (2003). La conceptualisation de la poétique sonore, telle que mise en œuvre dans le contexte particulier de ces littératures, fait appel aux paradigmes de valence traductive (Folkart 2007) et de traduction métonymique (Tymoczko 1999). Par ailleurs, cette recherche s’appuie sur la récente thèse de doctorat de Fraser (2007) consacrée à la théorisation du sonore en traduction.Recent publications explore Europhone African literatures as translation and in translation (Gyasi 2006, Bandia 2008, Batchelor 2009) insisting that these texts are better understood as a form of self-translation through oral subtexts, showing evidence of linguistic interplay by drawing on the writers’ native language(s). Yet hybridity as an encounter between oral and written literatures has seldom been explored in its poetic dimension. This lack of attention shapes the blueprint of this dissertation. Drawing on six original texts from African writers publishing in English (Farah, Hove and Armah) or in French (Waberi, Adiaffi and Djebar), I show in which extent these writings deserve to be labelled as poetic and how they are informed by the authors’ native literary background; occasionally I discuss other literary affiliations. In this specific context, I explore poetry in its melopoeic actualization (Pound 1954) as it relates to aural poetic devices (i.e. relying on their audible features). I then analyze, qualitatively and quantitatively, how this audible poetry has been reactivated by the translators: Bardolph, Richard, J. and R. Mane (translating Farah, Hove and Armah, respectively); Garane, Katiyo, Blair (translating Waberi, Adiaffi and Djebar, respectively). The last chapter suggests how reactivating sonorous poetic devices in translation relates to different literary modalities, especially audiobooks, as they represent a rapidly growing trend. The methodology draws on Antoine Berman’s translation project (1995) and Jacqueline Henry’s Traduire les jeux de mots (2003). Approaching the translation of aural/audible poetry in the specific context of these texts was facilitated by calling upon paradigms such as translational valency (Folkart 2007) and metonymy (Tymoczko 1999). Last but not least, this dissertation benefited from Fraser’s recent doctoral thesis (2007) dedicated to theorizing sound translation.
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Makgamatha, P. M. (Phaka Moffat). "The nature of prose narrative in Northern Sotho: from orality to literacy." Thesis, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/27432.
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The basic aim of this study is to investigate the nature of the narrative, concerning
itself with the structures inherent in a system of signs which reveals the
communicative function of literature. The general aim is to interpret the meaning
of the narrative against the cultural background.
The study makes a synthesis of formalist and structuralist points of view on the
relations between story and discourse. A comparison of the oral and written
narratives reveals that the discourse of the latter displays more artistry than that of
the former.
An examjnation of the problems of theme selection and development in the
Northern Sotho prose narrative, from the point of view of African literature, is
made. This reveals that the South African censorship laws have caused the
emergence of sophisticated writers with a highly developed artistic way of
portraying the South African situation sensitively by making it speak for itself.
The study also examines some aspects of character in the narrative, analyzing the
actions of characters in the story rather than psychological essences about them,
and showing how these characters help the reader to understand the narrator's
moral vision of the world.
A comparison of the narrative techniques in the oral and the written narrative
shows that in the former, the narrator is limited by tradition to the actions and the
events that can be seen or heard, while the narrator in the latter can even describe
what his characters are thinking or feeling. The study finally examines the relationship between symbolism and culture in the
Northern Sotho narrative to reveal the general African philosophy in which -life is
perceived as a perpetual journey undertaken by the hero from the natural to the
non-natural world, whence he returns to the original world after experiencing moral
lassitude and frustration.
In the conclusion it is observed that both the oral and the written narratives deal
with the intricacies of life as series of patterns and developments. The functional
nature of the traditional African aesthetics reflected in the narratives prescribes the
study of their meaning against the African cultural background.African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)
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Mdluli, Sisana R. (Sisana Rachel). "A reflective perspective of women leadership in Nguni oral poetic forms." Thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/13174.
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This thesis utilizes the theory of feminism in all its implied branches in an attempt to critically review the subtle and sometimes deliberate subjugation of women in general and South Africa in particular. This occurs, in spite of the fact that there are laws in place that are meant to discourage women abuse. Juxtaposing this is the perspective conception of women, looking at themselves as subjects of virtue who deserve equal treatment to any other human being. It is through some oral forms that this reflection could be tested. Praise poetry, in the hands of a creative artist opens up a world of human emotions that could not be easily seen or felt, and yet it can simultaneously be used to manipulate situations. Language therefore could be seen as a powerful double-edged instrument. The patriarchal system, in this thesis, is exposed as that holy ideology turned unholy to achieve condescending agendas against women. The thin light of respect demonstrated by the traditionalist thinking is made to disappear into thin air, especially when contaminated by Western ideas.
It is the resoluteness and the fair obstinacy of some both traditional and modern women that determinedly stood up to conscientise the world in terms of respect for human life irrespective. In this research, an exploration of literary elements within four Nguni languages, that is Siswati, isiZulu, isiNdebele, and isiXhosa reveals the singularity of purpose, for these elements to be manipulated to achieve domineering intentions. Be that as it may, tibongo (praise poems/ praises) of outstanding women who have served in traditional leadership in these language groups give reason to challenge any idea that women should by virtue be relegated to the back seat. Through these tibongo it becomes apparent that because of the women leaders’ stubborn fairness and unparalleled foresight, they have become personifications of democratic values and as such, role models and symbolic hope not only for the empowerment of women, but also for their total liberation from all negative perceptions and oppressions.African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)
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Lubbe, Linda Mary. "A comparison of Celtic and African spirituality." Thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1164.
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This study explores two ancient approaches to spirituality, together with the cultural contexts in which they developed.
Spirituality is a popular concept today among people of widely differing religious traditions, and among those who espouse no religious tradition. Spirituality defines the way in which people relate to what concerns them ultimately, and ways in which this concern is manifested in their daily lives. This popular interest has resulted in the rise of spirituality as an academic discipline.
An in-depth study of Celtic and African Spirituality is presented in this study. Celtic Spirituality dates from the fifth century CE onwards, whereas African Spirituality predates written history. Few examples of African Spirituality are recorded in writing before the twentieth century, although some have existed for centuries in oral form. Many Celtic poems, and other examples of traditional oral literature were collected and recorded in writing by medieval monks, and thus preserved for later generations in writing.
Both Celtic and African Spiritualities have a healthy, integrated approach to the material world and to the spiritual world. They acknowledge a constant interaction between the two realms, and do not dismiss or devalue either the physical or the spiritual. Art and oral literature also play an important role in enabling communication and expression of ideas. Power and powerlessness emerges as a dominant theme in African thought and spirituality, especially where African peoples perceive themselves to be powerless politically or economically.
Areas of relevance of Celtic and African Spiritualities to the life of the church today are identified and discussed, such as ecological spirituality; oral and symbolic communication; the role of women in church and society; and the theme of power. These are areas from which the world-wide church has much to learn from both Celtic and African Spiritualities.
The findings of this study are then discussed in terms of their relevance and helpfulness to church and society. Insights from Celtic and African spiritualities should be used in the future to deepen devotional life of individual Christians and of congregations, and ideas such as ecological responsibility and recognition of the value and gifts of women should permeate the teaching and practice of the church in the future.Religious Studies & Arabic Studies
D. Th.(Religious Studies & Arabic Studies)
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Castrillon, Gloria Ledger. "Invention or reflection? - tradition and orality in the works of Bessie Head." Thesis, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/22105.
Full textAbstract:
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts,
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in
fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master
of Arts. Johannesburg, 1993.This dissertation examines the work of Bessie Head with a view to sophisticating prevailing understandings of her texts which tend to concentrate on Head's place in a tradition of African women writers. Current critical works emphasise selected aspects, of Head's biography and assume her presentation of the 'tradition' and 'orality' of Serowe to be accurate. We argue in this dissertation that Head has constructed and manipulated concepts of 'tradition' and 'orality' in her texts to suit both her intellectual concerns and her fictional intentions. Broadly these are to present her works as the recorded history of an 'oral African' society. Head's six novels as well as aspects of her letters and interviews are examined in order to demonstrate this assertion.
AC2017
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Kaschula, Russell H. "Oral literature in Africa." 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59355.
Full textAbstract:
I have in my possession a first edition, hard copy of Ruth Finnegan’s quintessential work, Oral Literature in Africa. It has a yellow cover, preserved by a plastic sheathe, it is a little frayed around the edges and has that old, musty library smell about it. I love and treasure this book. It is dedicated by Professor Finnegan ‘[t]o all my teachers’. Professor Finnegan is indeed one of my teachers. I properly met Ruth Finnegan at the second International Society for Oral Literature (ISOLA) conference in 1998, which I hosted at the University of Cape Town. She gave a keynote address which included reference to her seminal work and the future of oral literary studies. She has continually influenced our work as researchers following in her footsteps: Isidore Okpewho, Harold Scheub, Abiola Irele, Graham Furniss, Elizabeth Gunner, Karin Barber, Isobel Hofmeyr, John Foley, Olayibi Yai, Edgard Sienaert, Brian Street, Noverino Canonici, Mark Turin, Daniela Merolla, Jan Jansen, Jeff Opland, and many others; some younger, some older, some living, some departed, scholars influenced by this great and humble intellectual and her body of work.
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Omolola, Bayo Rasheed. "The study of oral tradition in Yoruba movies." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/13268.
Full textAbstract:
The study examines two selected Yorùbá movies, focuses on the oral tradition, feelings, and messages in them. Its purpose is to show that the classification or categorisation by previous scholars is not limited to Yorùbá movies; it is adaptable to other movies. Consequently, the study sets out to find an identity for Yorùbá movies and is able to accomplish its aim. It draws on copious examples of oral tradition genres in the selected movies, extract their examples from the movies, and use the extracts to make an argument that the unique way to identify Yorùbá movies is the Yorùbá oral tradition which frequents in the movies. In its attempt to find its focus, it highlights scholars’ ideas of oral tradition worldwide and narrows the concept to the Yorùbá paradigm. The dissertation contains information on research approach, theories, analysis, and findings. Also, it presents the weaknesses of the study and offers useful recommendations. Finally, the study asserts its claim and proves it with evidence from its data.African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)
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Johnson, Simone Lisa. "Defining the migrant experience : an analysis of the poetry and performance of a contemporary southern African genre." Thesis, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/3014.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation focuses on the migrant performance genre isicathamiya, a genre which was popular amongst migrant workers in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in the nineteen thirties and forties. It explores contemporary isicathamiya and asks whether there have been paradigmatic shifts in its content in post-apartheid South African society. By way of introduction, the origins and development as well as some of the themes and features of isicathamiya are highlighted. Hereafter scholarly accounts of migrant
performance genres are discussed in conjunction with the cultural re-orientation of migrants in urban centers. The introduction is intended to contextualise the genre by alluding to the politics and aesthetics of isicathamiya performances. Leading on from the introduction, the first chapter of this body of research is a reflection upon the characteristics of oral literature; from the point of view of a literary scholar, I also discuss the problems of interpretation I experienced in this study of mediated isicathamiya lyrics. I propose that isicathamiya performances and texts are elements of
oral literature and begin to define them as such. My intention in chapter two is to explore how local performances have influenced global culture. I ask if oral literature from South Africa has contributed to the global market. I ask what Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the internationally acclaimed isicathamiya choir, has invested in "First World culture" and suggest that there is in existence a transcultural flow of energy between the "so-called centre" and "so-called periphery". In chapter three I suggest that the local and global are in a state of dialogue. I hope to establish a dialogue between local isicathamiya choirs and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. In essence, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has exported a musical form that has its foundations in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. This chapter takes readers back to the source of the genre. I take into consideration Veit Erimann's scholarly studies of isicathamiya in Nightsong: Performance, Power and Practice in South Africa. Focus falls
upon the paradigm of rural/ urban migration in isicathamiya song and the importance of "home" in sustaining migrants in the city. The notion of "homeliness" as a trope in isicathamiya performances is discussed. By extension, in chapter four, I ask whether the notion of "home" emphasized by Veit Erlmann is of significance in contemporary isicathamiya performance. Consequently, I adopt a comparative approach and set out to identify the changes and continuities in contemporary isicathamiya performances in response to transformations within postapartheid society. I ask why isicathamiya is significant in post-apartheid South African society. What is its importance for personal and collective identity? What is being articulated within contemporary performances? Does isicathamiya provide a cultural
space, a forum in which public debate (regarding leaders, policies and concerns) can be staged? Most importantly, is the thematic paradigm between the rural and urban world still visible in contemporary isicathamiya? Is contemporary isicathamiya still grounded on the notion of "homeliness", or have new thematic paradigms emerged in contemporary isicathamiya performances? I propose that South Africa in the present, is itself the site of multiple cultures and fragmented histories. The country and its people are searching for a new unitary meaning in the post-apartheid era. My argument is that isicathamiya texts are elements of postcolonial and post-apartheid literature. I suggest that language, through isicathamiya performance, can show a way back into reinterpreting the past and stitching together a
different present. Isicathamiya texts give hints of journeys and point to identities, shared histories and cultural landscapes. Isicathamiya makes possible the sharing of knowledge and knowledge systems, and is an opportunity to hear un-erased histories and un-silenced voices.Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.
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Mota, Moises Tchijica. "The role of folktales in building personality : the case of the Lunda-cokwe people of Angola." Diss., 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/4198.
Full textAbstract:
This study deals with the relationship between culture and national development in Angola. It is self-evident that folktales are integral to the cultural heritage of any people, and the Lunda-Cokwe of Angola are no exception. Folktales pass on their knowledge and general cultural heritage to new generation. However, they are rarely regarded as a useful component on development process of a country. In general the development is largely measured in statistics reflecting material wealth. It maintains that, in order to bring about sustainable development and national unity, a holistic approach to personality building as well as nation building is required. The argumentation will not only take into account economic capital generated through national resources, such as diamonds from the Lunda provinces, but also requires other forms of capital, including social and cultural capital as articulated in Bourdieu’s theory of capital.African languages
M.A. (African languages)
42
Kabaji, Egara Stanley. "The construction of gender through the narrative process of the African folktale: a case study of the Maragoli folktale." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/1798.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of the study was to identify the gender-related themes from a cultural discourse in order to determine how gender is constructed in African society. The study specifically examines the Maragoli Folktale. The Maragoli people mainly inhabit the western part of Kenya and are a sub-tribe of the larger Luhyia community. The Luhyia community is the second largest community in Kenya.
The study attempts to uncover how gender is constructed through the examination of dominant themes, characterization, images, symbols, formulaic patterns and formalities of composition and performance in the Maragoli folktales at the time of performance.
Based on an eclectic conceptual framework, the study takes into consideration gender theories, feminist literary perspectives, psychoanalysis and discourse analysis paradigms to critically examine the tales as a semiotic system of signification grounded within an African social cultural milieu. The folktales are analysed as a symbolic and ideological discourse of signs encoded by the performer and decoded by the audience at the time of performance. The study therefore situates the tale firmly at the time of performance, taking into consideration the interaction between the performer and the audience in the dissemination and internalization of gender ideology.
While establishing that patriarchal structures and values are transmitted through the tales, the study also reveals the methods and interventions that the mainly female performers advance as active agents in their struggle for space within the culture. Women are, therefore, perceived as active agents of change and the folktale as a site from which gender ideology is discussed, contested and subverted.
The study is based on a corpus of twenty (20) folktales collected from the Maragoli country in Western Province of Kenya (See maps, Appendix B.) The English versions of the tales appear in appendix A.English Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (English)
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Viriri, Eunitah. "The promotion of unhu in Zimbabwean secondary schools through the teaching of Shona literature : Masvingo urban district, a case study." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/23737.
Full textAbstract:
This study examines the extent to which the teaching of Shona novels can be used to
promote unhu (humanness) in Zimbabwean secondary schools where there has been a
call for the teaching of cultural values. The school syllabi for Shona make this position
abundantly clear. For that reason, anchoring the discussion on the role of literature in
Africa as expounded by African scholars such as Ngugi wa Thiong’o (1981), p’Bitek
(1986) and Achebe (1989) among others, the study observes that literature plays an
important role in moulding character through advancing unhu. For instance, as Achebe
(1989) argues that the novelist is a teacher, the study therefore locates literature as a
life-affirming and life-extending affair. The discussion of the role of literature as a
potential conduit for expressing unhu takes place within the theoretical confines of
Afrocentricity, an African-centred theory that places the interests of Africa at the centre
of any analysis involving African people. The selected novels namely Pfumo Reropa
(1961), Kunyarara Hakusi Kutaura? (1983) and Ndafa Here? (2007) are therefore
interrogated from an Afrocentric point of view. The three novels are representative of
different historical epochs in Zimbabwe’s cultural trajectory. In addition, they have
featured quite prominently on the school syllabi for Shona. Through a combination of
interviews and critical analysis of the novels, the study crucially observes that the proper
teaching of literature can effectively transform the thinking of learners thereby locating
them in their own cultural platforms. However, for this to happen, teachers must be
properly trained in order that they develop an appreciation of the value of literature in
imparting unhu among learners. As a result, the study thus proposes sufficient
conscientisation of teachers and learners on the concept and practice of unhu be
systematically carried out. At the same, there is need for greater planning in
constructing a more informing syllabus, as well as the deliberate inclusion of texts that
canonise unhu.African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)
44
Buthelezi, Mbongiseni Patrick. "Sifuna umlando wethu (We are Searching for Our History): Oral Literature and the Meanings of the Past in Post-apartheid South Africa." Thesis, 2012. https://doi.org/10.7916/D87D2S69.
Full textAbstract:
In post-apartheid South Africa, working through the distortions of identity and history of the formerly colonized, as well as the traumas suffered by black South Africans as a result of the alienation of land by European settlers is an ongoing project of the state. The state's attempts to formulate an appropriate national myth with founding heroes and significant events that resonate with the majority has resulted in the promotion of certain figures as heroes. Not all black South Africans who are exhorted to identify with these figures consider them heroes. Some trace the beginnings of the fragmentation of their historical identities to the conquest actions of these figures. Shaka kaSenzangakhona, founder of the Zulu kingdom, is one such figure who is being promoted as the heritage of all Zulus by the state, especially at the level of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, for purposes of constructing a heritage for the province and of encouraging tourism. This promotion of Shaka is seen by some as the perpetuation under the post-1994 dispensation of the suppression of their histories and the disallowing of engagement with a longer history than the reorganization of chieftainship from 1927 and the seizure of land belonging to Africans from 1913. Hence has sprung up groups convening around pre-Zulu kinship identities since the early 1990's in which people attempt to find answers to the question "Who am I?" For most people, this question is driven by a sense that their conceptions of the country's past and of their historical selves (i.e. of the experiences of their predecessors that have brought them to where they are in the present) have been either influenced, mis(in)formed or distorted by the national master narratives that crystallized under European colonial rule and apartheid, even as they were simultaneously being resisted. Informed in part the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the late 1990's and the state's attempts to "redress the imbalances of the past," many feel they need to work through the meanings of the past in their personal lives in order to inhabit the present with a fuller sense of how they have come to be who they are and so that they can imagine and create different futures for themselves.
In this project I examine the attempt of people who trace their history to the Ndwandwe kingdom that was destroyed by Shaka's Zulu forces in the 1820's who have organized themselves into an association named the uBumbano lwamaZwide (Unity Association of the Zwides) to engage with questions of identity and the meanings of the past. The association comprises a group of activists in different parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces who have been meeting since 2003 to attempt to bring together on a large scale people of Ndwandwe, Nxumalo and other historically-associated clans to recall and/or construct a heroic past in post-apartheid South Africa. Implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, the assembly of the Ndwandwe calls into question the definition as Zulu of those Ndwandwe whose forebears were incorporated into the Zulu kingdom in the 1820's.I analyze the use of the idiom of heritage as well as a traditional idiom of kinship that has come to be handed down as a Zulu language for mediating social relations by the uBumbano in ways that challenge the centrality given to Shaka in narrations of the past. I argue that the uBumbano is using these idioms against how they are commonly understood - heritage as a mode of engaging with the past for its feel-good features and kinship as a Zulu idiom in KwaZulu-Natal province. Through an analysis of three closely related oral artistic forms - the izibongo (personal praises) of Shaka in his promotion and the ihubo lesizwe (`national' hymn), izithakazelo (kinship group or clan address names) of the Ndwandwe as well as the personal praises of Zwide, the last Ndwandwe ruler before the fall of the kingdom - I argue that the uBumbano is deploying these forms in subtle ways to overturn the dominance of Shaka in public discourse. Moreover, I contend, the uBumbano is turning on its head the permission to recall their ancestors under the authority of the Zulu ruling elite that Ndwandwe people who were incorporated into the Zulu kingdom have been permitted for almost two centuries. I demonstrate how the language of being an isizwe (`nation') was permitted and perpetuated a Ndwandwe identity that has held the potential to be asserted more forcefully to overturn its secondary position to an overarching Zulu identity.
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Khuzwayo, Anthony S'busiso. "Ukuvezwa komlando ezibongweni zamakhosi amabili akwazulu, uDingane nomPande." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/1631.
Full textAbstract:
This research is entitled "The historical representation of the praise-poetry of
the two Zulu kings, Dingane and Mpande." In this study the researcher is
trying to explore the ways in which history is portrayed in these two above
mentioned kings. This is done firstly by looking particularly at their historical
outlooks and secondly by looking at their praises. In traditional Zulu society,
every Royal king has to possess praises. Therefore the praises basically contain
historical events.
The analysis of the findings reveals that king praises contain largely of the heroic
deeds, body features and characteristics of the kings. Based on this statement it
therefore stands to reason that the king praises cannot be considered merely as
a complete history of the Zulu kings. The data collection was carried out through
interviews and through reading books for each king.
It must be noted that the king praises are only performed by a bard/imbongi. The
king praises serve as a mirror that detects how the king live and perform the
duties of the nation.Thesis (M.A)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.
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Bashonga, Ragi. "Selling Narratives : an ethnography of the Spoken Word movement in Pretoria and Johannesburg." Diss., 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/44239.
Full textAbstract:
Spoken Word poetry in South Africa is understood as a genre of poetry which encompasses elements of textuality, musicality and performance, and is currently produced and frequented predominantly by a young, black public, according to Molebatsi and D’Abdon (2007). By means of ethnography, content analysis, and interviews with thirteen poets, this study demonstrates that the genre is used for expressing the life experiences of artists and their communities (Sole, 2008), as well as narrating social ills and concerns, including political, religious and other social experiences. In this sense, it is argued that Spoken Word may be termed as being a contemporary form of liberation politics (Judge, 1993) that is employed to serve a social function beyond directly political aims. This is made visible through the narratives, styles and identifications that distinguish members of this movement. This study provides a description of the scene in Pretoria and Johannesburg, drawing out various features of the movement. The social and political significance of the movement is presented by emphasising the poets’ perspectives on the Spoken Word movement, and engaging in a thematic content analysis of poems under the themes race and politics, gender and sexuality, and religion. International literature is engaged to demonstrate differences and similarities between South Africa’s Spoken Word scene and that of the USA by consulting works of scholars such as Weber (1999), Bruce & Davis (2000) and Hoffman (2001). It is demonstrated that similar to the genre in the USA, South African Spoken Word stresses performance to be an important distinguisher of this type of poetry. Also, in both contexts this art form has links to identity politics of previously marginalized groups. The study presents a similar finding to D’Abdon’s (2014) argument that the narratives presented in the post-apartheid Spoken Word movement greatly reflect Black Consciousness ideology, yet also importantly stresses that the movement also presents discontinuities with this discourse, allowing for a much broader array of narrative to permeate the performance poetry scene. This study makes an additional contribution to the existing literature through its key findings. Firstly, the study argues that although there has been a significant increase of women into the scene, Spoken Word remains a gendered space. Secondly, this study demonstrates that narratives produced by this movement contribute to experiences of community, but also play an exclusionary role to certain groups. Finally, the study illustrates that poets of the present day Spoken Word scene have begun a move towards commercialisation of the art form, subsequently also aiming for the valuation of African literature. In essence, it is argued that the present day Spoken Word poetry movement has great social and cultural value, and presents great potential of being a vehicle through which political and social consciousness can be both created and sustained.
Key words: Spoken Word, poetry, South Africa, oral literature, slam, open mic, post-apartheid, literature, narratives, Black Consciousness, politics, social change, art, liberation poetry, liberation politics, culture, hip-hop, conscious art, resistant political artDissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
Sociology
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