Folklore teaches us how to live.
Folklore teaches us how to live.
The place of isiXhosa folklore in South African education was the topic of Dr Pamela Maseko's 11 September talk at the Southern African Folklore Conference held at Rhodes University's Eden Grove.
Maseko said that folklore in isiXhosa is useful for a person's intellectual growth, as it encourages people to think critically and not just take what the folklore says at face-value.
Folklore, she said, teaches us how to live, gives us values and how to behave. Using folklore or oral literature in early education is beneficial as it encourages cognitive thinking.
“IsiXhosa use's literary forms to preserve and disseminate knowledge,” Maseko said. The different literary forms used in isiXhosa folktales are myths, songs, praise songs and legends.
Early printed isiXhosa literature in South Africa was influenced by missionaries, but in the 1880s the literature produced using newspapers was based on traditonal isiXhosa beliefs.
This literature was used as a platform to educate and make isiXhosa people proud of their heritage.
Maseko argued said that South Africa's current education system is based on western education systems and priorities.
IsiXhosa folklore, however, do have place in education because they teaches young pupils values and how to behave towards others, Maseko said.
