West African Drama

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West African Drama
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Purposes

• To pass on tradition and culture
• To share the human experience
• For recreation

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Storytelling

• Telling a story in the oral tradition
• Older generations stored family histories in
  their memories and would recite them for younger
  generations
• Would provide entertainment and education

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Methods of Storytelling

• In West African culture, there are several
  methods of storytelling
• A storyteller invites the audience to gather
  around and hear the story
• There is a set beginning and end
• The audience is stationary (remain the same and
  dont move away from the story)
• Informal gatherings of friends and family
• Someone begins to tell a big ol lie and tells
  a story to entertain the audience
• People come and go

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• Stylized verbal art
• Found on street corners
• Rap poems and slang
• Contemporary slang

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West African Storytelling History

• Slaves from West Africa brought the art of
  storytelling with them
• They were forbidden to read and write
• They used the spoken word (storytelling) to pass
  on news, stories, and other information
• Played a big role in helping slaves escape on the
  Underground Railroad

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West African Stories

• Myths
• Answer the question of how or why something
  came to be
• Have supernatural beings and heroes
• Revolve around nature
• Example Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Peoples Ears
• Trickster Tales
• One character outsmarts the others
• Popular version of West African trickster tales
  is Anansi the spider