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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... gone wrong . Of these raw young men , it is said derisively , " Yo ! Smeared - stomachs ! They don't know any- thing ! They've gone wrong ! " Laughter breaks out ; the young men are insulted . Abusive language is used against them ...
... gone to gather firewood . When he got there , dust was billowing up be- cause the ravens were scratching the earth . They were playing . The dust kept getting into his eyes . He went and sat at a distance and asked about his mother ...
... gone , you'll have to work to eradicate the many debts that you will have incurred in addition to the things you've already been told about . I shall have no part of that , my child . No woman ever bears children for another ! " Now ...
Contents
The Art of the Storyteller | 7 |
Masithathu Zenani on Storytelling | 19 |
Tales | 27 |
Copyright | |
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