The post In Africa. appeared first on Moontales Publishing UK Ltd..
In Africa, it is believed that the future and cultural awareness of every society lies in its stories. They are passed over to the younger generation in an attempt to leave an enduring legacy. Such stories could be referred to as folktales, fables, or myths; and their purpose is clearly defined: to introduce the younger generation into the acceptable ways of life, norms, customs and values of the society.
These are a few roles that are crucial in a folktale setting:
Children are easier to teach in their younger years. Older Africans figured that there is no better time to ingrain in children, the morals of the society, than when they are willing and ready to listen. Hence the phrase, “Catch them young”. At almost every moon-lighted night in a traditional African setting, children will gather around the oldest person (grandfather in most cases) and scores of morally rich, culturally vibrant stories will be told to them; much to the gleeful delight of the audience (the children). But entertainment aside, the elders are careful to weave into their stories, some important and basic lessons, which they believe will help to teach them moral lessons.
African folktales are loaded with moral lessons that appeal to children’s sense of justice. In almost all of these stories, are character casts that include villains and heroes. Generally, the story will always have a happy-ending for heroes and a sad turn-of events for the bad ones. Imagine the impact of such stories in the fresh mind of a child! Folktales therefore present wonderful opportunities for the African child to see; first-hand, the rewards of good deeds and dire consequences of the opposite. Folktales or myths are also used in Africa to help instil into children, a communal, me-and-you way of life. Apart from the content of these stories (which always rewards good behaviour in the society), the settings of these stories are also crucial. Imagine the gathering of recently eaten children, shirts off (or with wrappers), in cluster circles, leaning on each other, waiting for the old man to clear his throat and dish out another delicious tale. This is always the highlight of any child’s day. They always look forward to it. “We can’t wait to hear today’s version of the tortoise adventures in the land of the mermaids!”
Importantly though, these stories will also help to build and enhance their imagination and curiosity.
Lastly, everyone needs a hero, especially a growing, highly influence-able child. The problem with that is, if no strong/positive choice is given, the child is left alone to choose for themselves. The older generation know this, and in these myths and folktales, the African child is presented with heroes that have strong moral values. The stories are filled with characters worthy of praise, real societal role-models, with the aim of helping children to choose how to pattern their way of life.
The truth however is, despite the depth of these stories, a contemporary African family in today’s world is either too busy or not fully equipped to re-create these wonderful tools when raising their children.
No wonder there is a widening gap in how we are raising our children, compared to the way we were brought up!
And that is why at www.moontalespublishing.co.uk. , our goal is to ensure that the important roles of African folktales are not totally lost or forgotten.
Pick one of our books and join us in this effort!
The post In Africa. appeared first on Moontales Publishing UK Ltd..