BDB Bertsolaritzaren datu-basea

List of illustrations xiii
Foreword by Mark Turin xvii
Preface to the First Edition xxiii
Preface to the Second Edition xxv
Acknowledgments xxxv
Acknowledgments: Addendum 2012 xxxix
Abbreviations xli
Notes on Sources and References xliii
I. INTRODUCTION 1
1. The ‘oral’ nature of African unwritten literature 3
The significance of performance in actualization, transmission,and composition. Audience and occasion. Implications for the study of oral literature. Oral art as literature.
2. The perception of African oral literature 29
Nineteenth-century approaches and collections. Speculations and neglect in the twentieth century. Recent trends in African studies and the revival of interest in oral literature.
3. The social, linguistic, and literary background 51
Social and literary background. The linguistic basis—the example of Bantu. Some literary tools. Presentation of the material. The literary complexity of African cultures.
II. POETRY 81
4. Poetry and patronage 83
Variations in the poet’s position. Court poets. Religious patronage .Free-lance and wandering poets. Part-time poets. A note on ‘epic’.
5. Panegyric 111
Introductory: nature and distribution; composers and reciters; occasions. Southern Bantu praise poetry: form and style; occasions and delivery; traditional and contemporary significance.
6. Elegiac poetry 145
General and introductory. Akan funeral dirges: content and themes; structure, style, and delivery; occasions and functions; the dirge as literature.
7. Religious poetry 165
Introductory. Didactic and narrative religious poetry and the Islamic tradition; the Swahili tenzi. Hymns, prayers, and incantations: general survey; the Fante Methodist lyric. Mantic poetry: Sotho divining praises; odu Ifa (Yoruba).
8. Special purpose poetry—war, hunting, and work 201
Military poetry: Nguni; Akan. Hunting poetry: Yoruba ijala; Ambo hunters’ songs. Work songs.
9. Lyric 235
Occasions. Subject-matter. Form. Composition.
10. Topical and political songs 265
Topical and local poetry. Songs of political parties and movements: Mau Mau hymns; Guinea R.D.A. songs; Northern Rhodesian party songs.
11. Children’s songs and rhymes 291
Lullabies and nursery rhymes. Children’s games and verses; Southern Sudanese action songs.
III. PROSE 305
12. Prose narratives I. Problems and theories 307
Introductory. Evolutionist interpretations. Historical-geographical school. Classification and typologies. Structuralfunctional approach. Conclusion.
13. Prose narratives II. Content and form. 327
What is known to date: content and plot; main characters.Types of tales: animal stories; stories about people; ‘myths’; ‘legends’ and historical narratives. What demands further study: occasions; role of narrators; purpose and function; literary conventions; performance; originality and authorship. Conclusion.
14. Proverbs 379
The significance and concept of the proverb. Form and style. Content. Occasions and functions. Specific examples: Jabo; Zulu; Azande. Conclusion.
15. Riddles 413
Riddles and related forms. Style and content. Occasions and uses. Conclusion.
16. Oratory, formal speaking, and other stylized forms 431
Oratory and rhetoric: Burundi; Limba. Prayers, curses, etc. Word play and verbal formulas. Names.
IV. SOME SPECIAL FORMS 465
17. Drum language and literature 467
Introductory—the principle of drum language. Examples of drum literature: announcements and calls; names; proverbs; poetry. Conclusion.
18. Drama 485
Introductory. Some minor examples: Bushman ‘plays’; West African puppet shows. Mande comedies. West African masquerades: South-Eastern Nigeria; Kalabari. Conclusion.
CONCLUSION 503
MAP SHOWING PEOPLES MENTIONED IN THE TEXT 508
BIBLIOGRAPHY 511
INDEX 547