Useful or Less Serious Literature? A Critical Appraisal of the Role of Ngano (Folktales) Among the Shona of Zimbabwe

Colonialist and Eurocentric scholarship has always refuted the existence of literature in Africa before European intrusion on the continent. In instances where such scholarship had evidence of the existence of African literature, it was treated with skepticism, and in most cases regarded as less serious or child-like. However, a re-look at African oral art forms shows that not only did the people have a large body of literature, but also that the literature was a very serious and illuminating exploration and celebration of both life and the indigenous people’s cultural values. It was a literature bound on producing a real African who fitted well into the dictates of life on African soil. Using examples from the Shona ngano (folktale), and basing on the theory of Afrocentrism, the paper argues that looking at African oral art forms through Eurocentric lens robs Africans of an informed and robust exposition of the rich layers of meaning embedded therein. The paper unearths the significance of Shona folktales, including even the obvious, so as to challenge Africans, who have been colonised for nearly a century to revisit their perceptions, assumptions and attitude towards African oral art forms. This is because self-discovery and self-definition are the necessary points of departure in the decolonisation process that many African countries are engaged in.