Africa

A detailed Summary of Africa

Much of what is learned and taught today stems from the African culture. As always many different cultures take claims for things that Africans created or long before most even thought of it. Yet in still proper credit is never given to "our" ancestors for many reasons. One being that many people do not or would not like to admit the fact that the Africans were creators and inventors of much of today's culture. Also, and most importantly, many are misinformed or just do not know. Works written in African languages and traditional oral texts went virtually unacknowledged until the late 20th century, but today they are finally receiving increased recognition.

Many African works were not written down but passed along orally from one generation to the next through memorization and recitation. These traditional ways served many of the same purposes that written text serve. For example, entertainment, instruction, and commemoration. The existence of an oral tradition implies mentalities different from other societies who only relied on written documents. It was the responsibility of the griot a poet-historian, to tell and transmit their people's history. The oral literature includes prose, verse, and proverb; and they var

The folklore, in prose form, is usually told for nighttime entertainment. Folklore's feature humans and animals, either together or separate. They serve as social comments and instruction, while at the same time discourage antisocial behavior. The famous character in folklore is the trickster. Usually a small but witty animal that uses its' wit to protect itself against larger and more powerful animals. Examples of tricksters are Anasi a spider in the people of Ghana folklore, Ajapa a tortoise in Yoruba folklore, and Sungara a hare found in East African folklore.

Many of Africa's and African American leaders and elders were gifted speakers. Individual influence and leadership were exercised through one's knowledge of traditions as well as rhetorical skills. These valued skills that we do posses were developed on plantations as slaves, churches and anywhere else we could talk. It is not a coincidence that many of our great leaders were ministers and great public speakers.

The legend, intended to enhance of the gods and dynasties, is also a component of oral literature. The African legend is much like an epic because they both focus in heroism. However, legends are less detailed than epics. In addition, legends are used and told on an everyday basis, where epics are reserved for special occasions. In Africa the epic- an extended celebration of heroic figures- is not that popular.

Many African cultures posses epigrams, which include proverbs and riddles. In African societies effective speech and social success depend on command of proverbs. Proverbs demonstrate wisdom of the ages and serve as a reliable authority in arguments or discussions. Both proverbs and riddles are based on principles that require the listener to decipher intended meaning.

Today, as well as in the past, tales are still passed down from generation

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Approximate Word count = 1252
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English