LA LITTÉRATURE ORALE AFRICAINE : LITTÉRARITÉ, FORMES ET FONCTIONS

Abstract

The literatures of all people have their origins in oral forms. The advent of writing, especially in Europe and America, and of course the invention of printing paved the way for the perpetuation of literature through the written medium. Today, the West is skeptical about the idea of an oral literature transmitted from mouth to mouth without recourse to writing. For colonized people all over Africa, Asia and Polynesia, people had developed oral literary skills before the introduction of writing. Our aim in this paper is to show that by all critical literary standards, Africa had well-developed forms of oral literature which derived from the oral traditions of the various peoples who inhabit the continent. These oral forms range from the myths and legends to proverbs, tales and fables, etc. We find in these forms certain differentiating characteristics and functions as they serve as tools for the education of the young while providing the required pleasure.