Guest speaker- Kenya

This week we had a guest speaker come from Kenya, Africa. His name is Dr. Ochieng’ K’ Olewe, and his presentation was Folk and Fairy Tale Tradition from Kenya. One of the first things that we learned that is different in African fairy tales is that they are most always told at night. This is because after a day of work that was when every one was together, and also when they are told in the dark it is easier to use your imagination to picture what is happening. These tales teach not giving up, different attitudes, and values. African fairy tales celebrate being witty. In the north and the east it is usually the hare that is talked about, and in the west it is the spider. These tales teach morality, what is accepted, and what is not, and it is usually what is not accepted that is talked about. So instead of talking about what should be like in most other cultures, they talk about what is bad. Though there are still tales that focus on what is good behavior. These tales are also usually told through song. Songs allow for participation for the audience as well. The main singer can also throw in variations to the song. The language Dr. Ochieng’ K’ Olewe sang to us in was Luo; it is also an ethnic group. Another main difference in African fairy tales and those from other cultures is that a lot of times they are told in riddles. And if some one does not understand the riddle, the answer is not just given; they have to do something for the teller of the riddle to gain the answer. A few reasons why riddles are used is that they provide for entertainment, arouse intellect, and also arouse observation. Another focus of African fairy tales is that they tell why animals are the way they are.