African Oral Literature

Oral traditions forms have allowed for the passage of messages orally from one
generation to another in African societies. They take different forms, have similarities as well as
differences in how they are used and their characteristics as well. one of the forms of oral
traditions in African societies is oral storytelling which provides entertainment, develops
creativity, and passes on important lessons from one generation to another (Lupenga, 2005). The
storytelling form of oral tradition is similar to that n my community. The Chinese community has
held onto the oral tradition of storytelling for many centuries. Although its existence in modern
society is being threatened by technology, it is still prevalent.
Fables and folktales are other forms of an oral tradition that entails using human and
animal characters to deliver a lesson or moral (Lupenga, 2004). In fables, animals are featured
and given human characteristics. In folktales, however, people are the main characters, and they
have feats of strength. They are common in West Africa. Animals that are commonly used
include the chameleon, the spider, and the tortoise. Folktales and fables are common in my
community. They often include fables and fairy tales. Some of the common ones include the
Nodding tiger and the Bird with nine heads.
Another form of oral tradition in African societies is proverbs. These are related to fables
and riddles but are used to express beliefs and commonly held ideas. They use a form of
compressed language, whose allusive wording takes a metaphorical form (Sumner, 2007). They
are common in Africa, with the exception of certain places, such as some parts of South Africa
and among the Nilotic communities. Proverbs are also common among the Chinese people. They
too use allusive wording and take philosophical forms to convey meaning in society.

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In the beginning, it is evident that Sundiata is born into a family that already ad a son.
Sundiata’s mother is the second wife as the king already had another wife. The first sin was
hopeful of taking the throne after his father. However, this becomes impossible after the birth of
Sundiata. Sibling rivalry becomes apparent, and this is one of the features that characterize
Sundiata as an epic. Also, the heir to thrown is birthed by the ugliest woman in Mali. Despite the
obstacles and supernatural occurrences surrounding the birth of Sundiata, e manages to put
himself together and e learns how to become a leader.
Sundiata manages to become king and build an empire by forming alliances. Marriage is
one of the ways through which he manages to do this. For instance, through his father’s marriage
to Sogolon, he is helped by his uncle, King Faony Diarra, in a fight against Soumaoro. Also, it is
only after the prophecy about Sogolon giving birth to the king that Sundiata’s father agrees to
marry her in the first place. The marriage comes to be despite Sogolon’s ugliness because the
king has a desire to not only form family ties but be of significance for generations to come after
being succeeded by his son. Over the years, Sundiata deliberately forms alliances through
making friendships and working closely with the family. The alliances formed are not in vain as
they help him politically.
Supernaturalism is found deep within the structure of the African epic narrative.
Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali is also characterized by supernatural happenings. The events and
prophecies surrounding the birth of Sundiata, the epic hero, show supernatural forces at play.
This is evident in the forces of nature, the environment inhabited by Sundiata, as well as the
Blacksmiths’ weaponry and ability to help the hero. Sundiata’s mother was brought to the king
by hunters of a supernatural buffalo. Sundiata’s mother became strong, intelligent, and a woman
capable of producing the lands king after she took on the soul of the buffalo. The epic hero’s

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success is facilitated by powers outside the human realm. The epic hero is able to achieve a level
of epicness and greatness that is above human control, and this is possible through some kind of
supernatural activation.
The rightful heir in this epic is Sundiata. Despite being the rightful heir, he faces two
main obstacles. The king’s first wife spreads vicious rumors because he was born out of a
prophecy. The prophecy stated that the king would marry an ugly woman, who happened to be
Sundiata’s mother, with whom he would bear a son. The son born out of this union would then
be a great leader in Mali. Other tribulations that Sundiata faces are in relation to his physical
abilities. He is crippled and cannot walk for the first years of his development. He only manages
to walk at the age of seven. Sundiata, alongside Sogolon and his immediate family, ran away.
Their exile is orchestrated by the queen’s mother, and for seven years, they move from asylum to
asylum. Further, the court of Sasso was being ruled by Sumanguru, the evil sorcerer-king. The
court had been converted from places where justice was served to places where corruption and
human moral decay were prevalent. Balla Fasseke, who was Sundiata’s griot and a friend, had
been banished. Sogolon feared that more harm would befall her family, and that is when she
decided to leave the land.
After several years of being in an asylum, it was time for Sundiata to return home. The
king and the queen’s mother had fled. The people of Mali were leaderless. Based on the prophecy
of the Malinke seers, only Sundiata could succeed his father. Sundiata then took a great army
from the kingdoms that had given him their full support while in exile. It was time for the
prophecy to be fulfilled, and that could only happen if he returned home. He returned in glory
despite several challenges and attacks along the way. He returned with power. He said that he
was driven away from the land as a child out of hatred as he was seen unworthy of respect.

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However, he had earned all that while in exile; he was restored into the land of his father, and
this tie around, he was the king of Mali.
Overall, Sundiata is an epic because it fulfills the structural motifs that describe an epic
hero. Sundiata is born in a supernatural way, and his birth is foretold by seers, who are respected
n the land of Mali. His mother is the king’s second wife, and this causes sibling rivalry between
him and his half-brother. He is in exile because Mali becomes too hostile for him and his
immediate family to continue living there. The court is corrupted and used to fulfill the evil
desires of the queen’s mother. Through his ability to form alliances, he returns from exile, takes
leadership of Mali, and succeeds as their king. All these happenings qualify Sundiata to be an
epic.

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References

Lupenga Mphande, “African Oral Literature,” in Africana: the encyclopedia of the African and
African American experience, Kwame Anthony Apiah & Henry Louis Gates, Eds. Oxford
University Press, 2005 70-75 and, 2004, “Heroic and praise poetry in South Africa.” The
Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature, Cambridge University Press,
2004: 71-95
 Lupenga Mphande, 2004, “Heroic and praise poetry in South Africa.” The Cambridge History of
African and Caribbean Literature, Cambridge University Press, 2004: 71-95 (Carmen)
Sumner, C. (2007). The proverb and oral society. New Political Science, 21(1), 11-31.