Aesthetics and Utilitarian Essence ​of Selected Yorùbá Folktales

Aesthetics and Utilitarian Essence ​of Selected Yorùbá Folktales

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Folktales constitute read more one of the oldest traditional forms of education based on the method of delivery through oral tradition.Among the Yorùbá, folktale is a viable medium for transmission of cultural values, belief, history and philosophy of the community to the younger generation.The fact that African societies’ customs, morals and way of life are ingrained and codified in folktales shows the veracity of the indigenous knowledge system (IKS) embedded therein.This has contributed immensely to appreciating the culture, as well as the African people’s social norms.

This study examines the aesthetics and utilitarian essence of African folktales, using four purposively selected Yorùbá folktales as case study.The goal of the paper is to bring the aesthetics and usefulness of African folktales, thus the songs are documented in a staff notation for musical analysis.Data for the study were collected through oral interviews and review of related literature.The selected Yorùbá folktales were examined through a descriptive method.

Findings show that the essence of African folktales, as noticed in this present day, is being jettisoned and will soon become extinct by the current realities brought about by globalisation.This has greatly affected the cultural values which African folktales retain, maintain and disseminate.Hence, the need for the revitalization and digitization of African folktales to preserve the indigenous knowledge system deep-rooted in the narratives for future generations.This study concludes la rams crop top that the importance of African folktales would be better understood if properly harnessed, translated and notated from the musicological viewpoint, as it will further popularise the old tradition of storytelling in this modern age.