Research into West African oral traditions: from the scientific society to the traditionist approach

Abstract

This article examines the particular relationships that were established between the researchers of oral literature and their sources throughout the twentieth century in West Africa. The weakening of the orality in this vast territory, fostered by the effects of modernity, required the compilation of the oral discourses, delivered by the bards and other traditionists, as well as the written transcription or recording of the texts, in order to facilitate their preservation. Many of these oral tales ―in the form of epics, myths, legends, genealogies and songs―, transmitted from generation to generation, have been lost; however, others were safeguarded thanks to the work of European and African researchers that followed a set of rules to gain acceptance from the traditionists, sometimes reluctant to reveal secular information. Conclusions aim to state that, despite the fact that African researchers had an easier access to the researched oral texts, they also had to overcome harsh difficulties in order to delve into the West African traditions, often preserved with mistrust and caution.