Source 3: West African Storytelling
You have found an article written by a history expert. This article outlines storytelling
in the West African culture.
-
In West Africa, storytelling is still a big part of the culture. Storytelling is seen as an
art in this culture. Africans are proud to share their stories. Stories are meant to be a
performance and will usually include dance and music.
Griots, or the female Griotte, are the storytellers in African culture. There is usually
another, this could start a war. Griots are in charge of keeping the history from their
time and sharing this information. They must also remember the stories told to them by
West African stories tell of shared knowledge and help teach lessons about what is right
and wrong. There is a common theme of wit, independence, and courage. Stories in West
are stories that share knowledge, truth, ideas, and life lessons. Epic narrations tell the
importance.
Genealogies share the history of the group. These are usually sung by Griots while
playing a musical instrument. They usually include facts such as numbers, dates, and
important names. Songs are a huge part of African culture and their storytelling. Songs
are sung in all parts of life.
Page 43 LANGUAGE ARTS PERFORMANCE TASK GRADE 4