(DOWNLOAD) "African Children's and Youth Literature--then and Now." by Journal of African Children's and Youth Literature * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free

July 06, 2021

eBook details

Title: African Children's and Youth Literature--then and Now.
Author : Journal of African Children's and Youth Literature
Release Date : January 01, 2007
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines,Books,Professional & Technical,Education,
Pages : * pages
Size : 220 KB

Description

Introduction For generations, the people of Black Africa have told stories in their numerous and multitudinous indigenous tongues to children and young people and to adults as well, in their social, informal, or formal gatherings. Storytelling is not a new art for them but one as old as the African continent itself. From mythic narratives that tell of the creation of the world to simple proverbs that relate human wisdom, the oral tradition held, and in many African countries it still holds the position of a literature at once esoteric and popular, didactic and diverting (Harris et al, 1973). These are usually some of the first stories heard by African children in their homes and in their communities. These narratives were handed down principally by word of mouth from one generation to the next. The words which make up this body of literature are the creations of cultures in which spoken words and significant gestures are more important than graphic signs. In such cultures, words are never treated lightly, and the body of knowledge of a person is often associated with a theory of the spoken word (Balandier and Macquet, 1974). This is why the griots, traditional African storytellers, and the gifted ones who relied heavily on their memory, imagination, charm, and verbal dexterity were held in high esteem and respected as sages in various African societies, Beside the griots and storytellers, the aged person was, and still is, ordinarily regarded as the symbol of wisdom and society's memory databank.