Southern African Journal for Folklore Studies - latest Issue

In oral cultures, proverbs are a window to the very fabric of society. This article looks at how the current generation is using traditional proverbs in modern ways, by employing Zulu memetic aphorisms. These memetic aphorisms function in the same manner as memes; except that the former has no images underneath the writing. Memetic aphorisms are written in Zulu; however, they involve a lot of codeswitching and use of numbers instead of words. These memetic aphorisms are factual, ironical, funny, and use word play. They are generally acceptable comments and meaningful assertions about life in general. Memetic aphorisms have become an easy and quick way to communicate opinions of the speaker regarding the behaviour, dress code, physical appearance, social status and religious affiliation. This article will look at how the content of these memetic aphorisms is organised to criticise and shun the bad behaviour of women in an effort to prepare them for marriage. It will also look at the correlation between the languages of memes, as it relates to traditional proverbs in Zulu. The article proposes a simple typology for analysing and identifying common features between the aphorisms and traditional proverbs in Zulu social discourse. These memetic aphorisms gain their relevance and meaning in the context within which they are used.

Traditional Shona literature, which in the context of this article encompasses folktales, myths, and legends, as well as other oral art forms deploys devices such as pathos, disguise, and mischief, among others. Through these devices, preliterate Shona literature celebrates the struggle of the underdog to transcend the limitations imposed by their circumstances. Underdogs comprise such people as the sick, the old and the disabled, among others. This article seeks to describe the fantastic accomplishments of underdogs and demonstrate how they are delivered through the midwifery of pathos, disguise and mischief, which is carefully designed to offset the underdogs’ impoverishment in terms of wealth, health, looks, social influence and other attributes. Inter alia, the article demonstrates that the Shona worldview as expressed in traditional Shona literature is a democratic, facilitative space in which special laws of justice and retribution are deployed to catapult the underprivileged in their quest to reclaim their abused humanity.

The article defines poetry and situates the genre within an African context, with justifications on why it relies on a performative enactment for the realisation of its full import. The focus is on the fact that much of what is characteristically categorised as “poetry” in African oral literature is intended to be performed in a musical setting, where the melodic and vocal components are mutually dependent on representation. The leading concern, therefore, is the observation that poetry in a traditional African society derives its classification from the perception of the society for which it is performed, and need not be limited to the Western construal or perspective. The article employs poetic verses from the Ham and Hausa of Nigeria, the Ewe and Akan of Ghana, and the Ocoli of Uganda to exemplify the position that an enactment reveals the core of the communicative act in an orally-recited poetry.

Literary works in any language are intended for conveying specific messages. African contemporary writers tap into the reservoirs of their culture and tradition in transmitting their messages. Since most African societies are patriarchal, it is no wonder that they portray patriarchal inclinations in their modern products. This article seeks to review the patriarchal air; that is the trends that suppress the voice, actions, and visibility of women in the public domain. An analysis of the Siswati play entitled Umjingi udliwa yinhlitiyo “Let one follow the heart’s dictates” by SW Nsibandze will illustrate the upshots of using culture and tradition in promoting the theme of the play, while challenging some cultural stereotypes. The womanist approaches will form the theoretical foundation for this discussion. On the basis of this play, I will draw conclusions from the research that has already been undertaken to make proposals on how traditional and cultural trends can be used in streamlining gender equality.

The article seeks to explore the role of African oral traditional art forms and governance in Zimbabwe for economic development. African philosophies, embedded in oral literature were part and parcel of the people’s life. Everybody participated in the activities that affected them in society. Thus African peoples used oral literature, which is dependent on the performer who formulates it on a specific occasion—this forms part of issues of governance. Some problems, which people, and Zimbabweans in particular are facing, emanate from colonialism, and have led them to believe that they had no culture or anything to shape their way of thinking. These problems have always been there, and people had a way of circumventing them through the philosophies that were embedded in their oral art forms. It is against this backdrop that the researcher seeks to explore the place of oral art forms; which include proverbs, riddles, folktales among others; and governance as vehicles to drive economic growth in Zimbabwe. The article is based on a conceptual method of study, where examples of oral art forms used have been taken from various speech communities in Africa. The researcher’s arguments are guided by the Afrocentric approach and the discussion establishes that issues of democracy and governance were part and parcel of indigenous people’s way of doing things, in a bid to achieve economic growth in their societies.