Orality, Literacy, and Colonialism in Southern Africa

Download or read book Orality, Literacy, and Colonialism in Southern Africa written by Jonathan A. Draper and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Literacy is essentially about the control of information, memory, and belief, and with colonialism in Southern Africa came the Bible and text-based literacy monitored by missionaries and colonial authorities. Old and new oral traditions, however, are beyond the control of empire and often carry the resistance, hopes, and dreams of colonized people. The essays in this volume recover aspects of Southern Africa's rich oral tradition. The authors, from disciplines such as anthropology, African literature, and biblical studies, delineate some of the contours of the indigenous knowledge systems which sustained resistance to colonialism and today provide resources for postapartheid society in Southern Africa. Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org)