“Signifying Monkey†-The Guardian of African Tradition

Nataša Vajić Juos
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NataÅ¡a Vajić Juos: “Radoje Domanović“ OsjeÄ ani - Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina

European Journal of Language and Literature Studies Articles, 2018, vol. 4

Abstract: African oral tradition is much more than just a story. It is the history of one nation. It is a code of laws under which people live and die. However, the oral tradition is also a rich area of wordplays and high philosophy, which represent the foundation of today's African and African-American literature. Proverbs, ritual songs, epics, all of this is the foundation of an advanced society. In reality, the keepers of the culture are griots - storytellers. In fiction, these are trickster gods in the shape of sacred animals. Only one of them is a cunning monkey, thanks to which a whole genre of double-thinking has emerged. The monkey is a shadow in the proverbs and inspiration for storytellers. The double-thinker and the representative of reason and justice through stunning wordplays. Two-voiced messages which are a feature of the highly advanced philosophical nation that possessed cultural richness even in the era of oral tradition. The tradition that still exists.

Keywords: African and African American literature; oral tradition; griots; African proverbs; signifying monkey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eur:ejlsjr:157

DOI: 10.26417/ejls.v4i3.p31-35

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