Posted by Chester Morton / Saturday, 15 April 2017 / No comments
The importance of oral sources to the reconstruction of African history
THE IMPORTANCE OF ORAL SOURCES TO THE RECONSTRUCTION OF AFRICAN HISTORY
Introduction
One of the main sources of African
history is oral traditions. These are traditions handed down from one
generation to another. These oral sources are found in myths, taboos, customs, folk-lore and folktales. By their very name, they are not written down, they are
carried by word of mouth, told and retold over the years. The historian is able
to find information from this source in writing the history of Africa. Oral
sources are important for many reasons and they are discussed below.
IMPORTANT OF ORAL SOURCES
A confirmation of archeological
findings
One of the reasons why oral sources are
important is that though it establishes facts about the history of a people,
the oral traditions are able to corroborate what the archeologists have
discovered. This way, all doubts about the phenomenon is cleared once and for
all.
Helps to determine the sequence of
events
Oral tradition is also important
because it is used to determine the sequence of historical events. This helps
to clear any doubts that may be lingering in the minds of people about the
history of the African.
It can be reliable
Oral tradition is very important for
the reconstruction of African history, especially, in the absence of other more
concrete sources of information. In the absence of more reliable sources, oral
sources become very important in the scheme of things.
DISADVANTAGES OF ORAL SOURCES
In spite of the usefulness of oral
sources of information to the historian, there are some problems associated
with its usage. Some of these problems are discussed below.
It is not precise
One of the reasons why oral sources
can be problematic is that it is devoid of exactitude. Oral traditions lack the
necessary details that a story needs to have in order to be authentic. One can,
therefore, not wholly rely on oral sources. It has to be supported by other
sources to stand the test of time.
It lacks sequence
Oral sources have another problem and
it is that the sequence of events is sometimes questionable. This may be due,
in part, to the fact that the stories were transmitted by word of mouth so in
the process, some of the details get lost and the sequence mixed up or
sometimes events omitted all together.
Exaggeration
There is also the problem of
unnecessary exaggeration of events. For example, some of the details are incredible
and therefore can only be the product of fabrications to enhance the image of
individuals or communities. The problem is that such exaggerations do not make
the accounts believable.
Absence of details
Another problem with oral sources is
that it lacks some essential features. The surviving witnesses are not able to
connect the occurrence of events to actual dates because their main concern is
the story and not any dates. This ultimately creates the problem of sequence of
events in the narratives.
SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. Discuss how oral traditions help
in the writing of African history.
2. Describe the merits of any four
non-documentary sources of African history.
3. Discuss the merits and demerits of
oral traditions as sources of African history.
