Storytelling in Northern Zambia: Theory, Method, Practice and Other Necessary FictionsStorytelling plays an important part in the vibrant cultural life of Zambia and in many other communities across Africa. This innovative book provides a collection and analysis of oral narrative traditions as practiced by five Bemba-speaking ethnic groups in Zambia. The integration of newly digitalised audio and video recordings into the text enables the reader to encounter the storytellers themselves and hear their narratives. Robert Cancel's thorough critical interpretation, combined with these newly digitalised audio and video materials, makes Storytelling in Northern Zambia a much needed addition to the slender corpus of African folklore studies that deal with storytelling performance. Cancel threads his way between the complex demands of African fieldwork studies, folklore theory, narrative modes, reflexive description and simple documentation and succeeds in bringing to the reader a set of performers and their performances that are vivid, varied and instructive. He illustrates this living narrative tradition with a wide range of examples, and highlights the social status of narrators and the complex local identities that are at play. Cancel's study tells us not only about storytelling but sheds light on the study of oral literatures throughout Africa and beyond. Its innovative format, meanwhile, explores new directions in the integration of primary source material into scholarly texts. This book is the third volume in the World Oral Literature Series, developed in conjunction with the World Oral Literature Project. |
Other editions - View all
Storytelling in Northern Zambia: Theory, Method, Practice and Other ... Mark Turin,Robert Cancel No preview available - 2020 |
Storytelling in Northern Zambia: Theory, Method, Practice and Other ... Robert Cancel No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
african animals arrived audience members bark cloth beeswax began bemba language Bemba Storytelling bisa Bisa Storytelling bush bushbuck Bwile Chakobe Chief Puta Chiengi child Chipalo Chipioka Chitimukulu context crocodile cultural elders elephant ethnographic father Fele follow this link gestures hands Hippopotamus hunter hunting husband Ilondola interactions Kachela Kalulu Kangwa Kaoma Kaputa Kasama Kashikishi Kazembe kill Kombe let me pick lion lived looking luapula Province Lunda Storytelling malole married mbereshi mother mpika Mporokoso mukwai Muleya mulumbe Mupalume Mupita musumba mwata Kazembe nabwalya Ndalazi nephew nsaka oral narrative performance person praise proverb relationship roan antelope Robert Cancel saying seemed social song speak Stanley Kalumba story follow tabwa tale themes things told took traditional trickster uncle village walked watch a video what's happened wife women yes let Yes mukwai young Zambia