Oral
tradition plays a very profound role in the Ghanaian society as a way of
transmitting cultural values based on peoples thought, feelings or the way they
live. The orality becomes the way in which stories, proverbs, histories and memories
are passed on from one generation to another.
Heissig
Walther, and Rüdiger Schott argued that, oral traditions plays an important
role as a medium of knowledge transmission from one generation to another,
especially among ethnic groups without written tradition (Heissig
& Schott 1998).
Transmitting
wisdom among children especially using storytelling and proverbs can be seen a
source of entertainment grounds for developing the creativity and imaginative
mind, and tutoring the fundamental bases for life and lessons for living.
The tools used in communication are not just
words but sometimes the gestures and facial expression of the storyteller,
songs sung, different body movements bring connection among people that convey
culture and histories that unite people.
Elizabeth Ann Wynne Gunner, and Harold Scheub asserted
that, storytelling is the sensory union of ideas and images, a method through
which the past is re-created in terms of the present. (Gunner and Scheub, 2020).
This is because storytelling helps us communicate meanings about who we are
based on our past experiences by claiming new identities for ourselves and also
known as an important part of communication in history.
Storytelling
is an important shared event with people sitting together, listening and even
participating in accounts of past deeds and beliefs. Mbiti (1966) observed
that,
Stories are to a
certain extent the mirror of life; they reflect what the people do, what they
think, how they live and have lived, their values, their joys and their
sorrows. The stories are also a means of articulating man’s [sic] response to
his [sic] environment. (p. 31)[1].
Most stories contain proverbs at the end which stands
as a form of encouragement for one another and sometimes explains about the past
and present. This type of oral tradition convey wisdom and a discovery of ideas
for life.
Karabo Gerald (2016), in his blog post highlighted some
examples of African Proverbs and their meanings, which states that;
Proverb:
A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness.
Meaning:
What goes around, comes around so whatever you sow, you shall reap.
Proverb:
A roaring lion kills no one.
Meaning: You cannot achieve or gain anything by mere sitting around and just talking.
Proverb: Knowledge is like a garden: If
it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested.
Meaning:
If you don’t make efforts to acquire knowledge then you would not expect to
have it and if you do not put the knowledge you have to use, you cannot expect
to gain anything from it.
According to G. L. Huxley, “traditional
societies use proverbs an educational function, preserving thought inherited
from the past and guiding conduct in the present.” (Huxley,1981).
To conclude, it
is obvious that oral tradition plays an important role in the transmission of
knowledge and also acts as a tool for preserving cultural heritage and
community development. Both traditions tend to win more attention as the
simplest way to transfer knowledge across generations or as a way coming into
agreement with people to understand the realities of our culture and society
from a point of view.
Gunner,
Elizabeth Ann Wynne, and Harold Scheub. 2020. “African Literature | History,
Writers, Books, Characteristics, Themes, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica.
August 14, 2020. https://www.britannica.com/art/African-literature.
Heissig,
Walther, and Rüdiger Schott, eds. 1998. “The Present-Day Importance of Oral
Traditions — Their Preservation on, Publication and Indexing.” 26–36.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-83676-2_2.
[1]John Mbiti in Simeon Edosomwan and Claudette M. Peterson, “A History
of Oral and Written Storytelling in Nigeria. Accessed December 19, 2020.
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