Following the foot prints of our forefathers.

How have folktales been rejuvenated in order to fit into the morden society…realising they were playing crucial role back then.

 Folks have been used by our elders in delivering certain information containing different life lessons. These folks varied with age group, children had their own stories, teenagers and so on. The teller in most cases was someone with a gift of voice projection( can make any sound of any animal). Life experiences also made it easy for one to deliver the message in this disguise manner. However with the coming of technology we lost all these African values. OHHHH thanks to actors and writers who have revived some of precious values. Although it is not as original as it was but they persevered because oral stories can lose some of their colour and liveliness when put in writing, there is a gain that makes the change worthwhile. In the past, oral stories, and the identities of their tellers, were often lost to future generations because there were no written records. Now, storytellers yet unborn will be able to breathe new life into our tales and adapt them to the needs of listeners and readers of their time.

Since the beginning of time folks have always wanted to spread the word. The ones who can spread the word most effectively have the ability to �talk dat talk� and �walk dat walk�. In other words they can grab the imagination of the listeners and hold on to it for as long as they like, conjuring up images of the good and the bad, the weak and the strong, and the trickster and the fool. They have the ability to make you laugh until you cry, cry until you laugh, stand up and shout, or stare in amazement at their gestures and characterizations. Besides these, they carry with them the societal values which everyone is expected to follow.

In the African culture, past and present, these folks have gone by many names. Today, they are called preachers, healers, teachers, comedians, blues singers, poets, dancers, rappers, liars, painters, and historians. In a performance, all storytellers will use whatever it takes to get the story across. To hear them is to hear the drum, the heartbeat of Africa. To see them tell the story is to experience highlights of an African ritual at its best, a total theatrical performance. People can easily understand a certain concept when delivered in a dramatic manner.

The storyteller, the story and the audience are of equal importance. The drummers or musicians set the tone. The dancers or singers warm up the audience. The audience gives their approval by clapping their hands, swaying to the beat, and shouting comments or praises. The storyteller enters, dressed for the occasion in attire that may be colourful and exciting to arouse the curiosity or formal to create a serious mood. The storyteller senses the vibrations of the audience and begins to deliver the story, using his or her voice to mimic the characters. The storyteller may chant or scream. The storyteller sweats, and the audience loves it, because this means that the storyteller is doing all that he or she possibly can to please them. The story is full of emotions, full of humour, full of rhythmic language, and full of wisdom.

The storyteller and the audience are flexible. No one worries about making a mistake. No mistakes are made. Something new is being created. The story has fired up the audience. The storyteller has succeeded, and he or she exits in a fashion that will be remembered. The story has not ended. The audience has taken it home with them, and the next day they spread the word to the ones who were not there to witness the event. The spirit of sharing is cultivated as information is shared from one person to another.

Thnx to the internet which tried to stop our African ways of passing information because it opened platforms liked Youtube, facebooks where we care share our African indigenous orature.