The World and the Word: Tales and Observations from the Xhosa Oral TraditionA master storyteller of the Xhosa people of South Africa, Nongenile Masithathu Zenani gives us an unprecedented view of an oral society from within. Twenty-four of her complex and beautiful tales about birth, puberty, marriage, and work, as told to the renowned collector of African oral tradition, Harold Scheub, are gathered here. Accompanying the stories are Zenani’s detailed commentaries and analyses and Scheub’s striking photographs of her in performance. The combination of these historical and cultural observations with a richly symbolic collection of tales from a single traditional storyteller make The World and the Word a remarkable document. |
From inside the book
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... given an axe if I must leave home . When I leave , I should be allowed to leave with everything that is mine , everything that was called by my name . I should leave nothing behind in my sleeping place . " So said this young man ; his ...
... given his cattle . " " You want him to be given his cattle ? " " Yes . " " But can he be given cattle after he almost killed you ? You have been hurt badly , yet he wants his cattle ? " " Well , if he is not given his cattle , Father ...
... given birth to a child , and the starvation is about to kill her - it's especially difficult for her because she has just given birth . Her child is also in danger of starving . In that entire land of ours , no one visits anyone else ...
Contents
The Art of the Storyteller | 7 |
Masithathu Zenani on Storytelling | 19 |
Tales | 27 |
Copyright | |
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