The Role of Oral Literature in Reading Literacy, by Keziah Watatua, American Women's Association of Kenya
What is oral literature? Oral literature is a performed art which in most cases uses spoken words as a medium of communication. Performance plays a vital role in oral literature. Forms of oral literature include songs, oral narratives, oral poetry, riddles and tongue twisters. Myths are a key genre of oral literature. They are characterized by gods and supernatural beings and are sacred and true to a community. Myths are set at the beginning of time. They are comparatively shorter than any other narratives because they are not concerned with the development of characters.
In my African culture, educational information was mainly passed on through this medium. The type of family structure was extended and the child belonged to the community. This meant that the responsibility for proper upbringing and education of a child did not lie solely on an individual parent. Life skills such as nutrition and hygiene, iron processing for tools and weapons, and the knowledge of plants to treat various ailments was passed on mainly through oral literature. Taboos were taught through songs and myths so as to instill cultural values. It is perhaps because of this that introducing written literature to children in the African setting has often posed a challenge.
It may be helpful for educators in Africa and other similar cultures around the globe to consider a different approach when introducing reading literacy, as children from these kinds of cultural backgrounds love hearing and telling stories and have traditionally learned best through these methods. After all, language experts recommend speech as the first stage of language development before reading and writing.1 Going back to culture, it would be very typical to have a grandmother sit by the fireplace with the smaller children of the surrounding homesteads each evening and engage them with stories and lesson songs until late in the night. On the other hand, the older boys would join their grandfathers in a typical nomadic lifestyle in the open field to graze cattle and herd sheep. The young men would go out for hunting and gathering while those with special skills such as medicine and iron making would go through training as apprentices. During all these activities the parties involved would engage in conversations using the elements of oral literature explained at the beginning of this article. In essence, oral literature was the main medium of passing information, and learning happened intuitively and continually through stages of life marked by age sets.
Although not an end itself, in many cultures oral literacy remains a key means to achieving the ultimate end, reading literacy for all.
1Speaking Out for Language: Why Language Is Central to Reading Development: CLICK HERE for full reference.
