African Music Vol 3 no 3(Seb)

REVIEWS 119

REVIEWS

A S E L E C T IO N O F A F R IC A N P R O S E . 1. T ra d itio n a l O ra l Texts,

compiled by

W . II. W H I T E L E Y . 'The O x fo rd L ib r a r y o f A fric a n L ite ra tu re . O x fo rd U n iv e rs ity P re ss, p p . 20 0 . 1964. 21/-.

M em b ers o f th e A fric a n M u s ic S o c ie ty w ill u n d o u b te d ly w e lc o m e th e a p p e a ra n c e o f th is s cries o f b oo ks on A fric a n lite r a tu r e , h a v in g c o n c e n tra te d fo r so lo n g on th e o ra l tr a d itio n s w h ic h a rc re v e a le d in th e ir ly ric s a n d th e m u s ic w h ic h a cc o m p a n ie s th e m . T h is is a ll to th e g o o d , a n d it is in te r e s tin g to learn fro m th e p u b lis h e r ’s in tro d u c tio n th a t “ th e ta sk o f r e c o rd in g o ra l c o m p o sitio n s b efo re th e y a re lost to m e m o ry , a n d o f p r o v id in g a b asis fo r fu tu re lite r a r y s tu d ie s o f A fric a , is a s p e c ia lly u r g e n t o n e fo r s ch o la rs o f the p resen t g e n e r a tio n , fo r A fric a n lite ra tu re w h ich h as a p p ea re d in p rin t is o n ly a tin y frag m e n t o f th e w h o le .”

T h e w h o le o b je c tiv e o f o u r S o c ie ty h as b een to w a rd s th is en d a n d w e a rc , a fte r six tee n y e a rs o f ex isten ce, in a p o s itio n to a p p re c ia te b o th th e u rg e n c y o f th e s itu a tio n a n d the p itfa lls w h ic h a c c o m p a n y the w o rk o f c o lle c tio n a n d tra n s la tio n o f o ra l tex ts.

In th e first p la c e th e m a jo r ity o f tra n s c rip tio n s o f A fric a n o ra l tex ts a rc a b s tra c ts o f th e o r ig in a l and b y th e tim e th e y h a v e b een c o m m itte d to p a p e r a re a lre a d y d is to rte d . C o ld p rin t can o n ly s u g g e s t the w o rd s a n d p h ra ses a n d d o es n o t

c o n v e y

th e a n im a tio n a n d e m o tio n b eh in d th e tex t ex c ep t b y in g e n io u s m a n ip u la tio n . T h is a p p lie s p r im a r ily to th e v e rn a c u la r tex t, a n d in s till la r g e r d e g re e to th e su b se q u en t tra n s la tio n in to E n g lis h o r o th e r w o r ld la n g u a g e . A lth o u g h th e p u b lis h e rs use th e w o rd

“ r e c o rd in g ” in its n o n -m e c h a n ic a l sen se , it is p re c is e ly h ere th at th e b est g u a ra n te e o f a u th e n tic ity can be m ad e, b y th e so u n d re c o r d in g te c h n iq u e s w h ic h sh o u ld in e v e ry case be m ad e i f th e o ra l tex t is to c a rry its d u e w e ig h t a n d th e e le m e n t o f o r a to r y g iv e n its tru e p e rs p e c tiv e . T h is d o cs n o t m ean th a t e v e ry t e lle r o f ta les sh o u ld be re co rd ed b u t th a t a n u m b e r o f th e a c k n o w le d g e d a u th o rs a n d ex p erts w ith a k n o w n g e n iu s fo r s to r y te llin g s h o u ld be s o u g h t o u t an d p la ce d b efo re a m ic ro p h o n e . T h e in a d e q u a c ie s o f th e tra n s c rip tio n c o u ld th en b e la r g e ly o v e rc o m e as s e v e ra l p ers o n s w o u ld be a b le to ju d g e fo r th e m s e lv e s, d ir e c tly fro m th e so u n d re c o r d in g , an d e s p e c ia lly th e n ex t a n d s u b se q u e n t g e n e ra ­ tio n s o f A fric a n w r ite r s fo r w h o m th e w h o le e x e rc ise is p rim a r ily u n d e r ta k e n .

It is in th is d ire c tio n th a t a n y o n e w ith e x te n s iv e first-h an d k n o w le d g e a n d e x p e rie n c e o f A fric a n o ral lite ra tu re w ill a p p re c ia te th e p re d ic a m e n t o f th e c o m p ile r o f th is p resen t v o lu m e . H e h as been fo rced to re ly up o n in te rp re ta tio n s w h ic h re v e a l c ith e r in a d e q u a te k n o w le d g e o f th e v e rn a c u la rs o r e q u a lly in a d e q u a te co m m a n d o f la n g u a g e to c o n v e y th e e s s e n tia l, a r tis tr y o f th e o r ig in a l m a tte r. F a ilu r e in e ith e r d e p a rtm e n t d o es less th an ju s tic e to th e A fric a n s to r y te lle r o r ra c o n te u r. S o m u ch is a d m itte d , an d in p u b lis h in g th is first w o rk o n o ra l tex ts o n e b eco m es m o re k e e n ly a w a re o f th e p itfa lls w h ich m u st be a v o id e d in fu tu re .

L ittle a tte m p t at e d itin g th e v a rio u s c o n trib u tio n s to th is c o lle c tio n a p p e a rs to h av e b een m ad e, an d the q u a lity o f th e

stories

v a ries

from

b r illia n t to c o m m o n p la c e.

In a d d itio n th e v e r y w o rd “ A fric a ” , u n q u a lifie d , h as lo n g sin c e b eco m e an in c u b u s an d w ill n eed m o re c a re fu l d iffe ren tia tio n if th e p u b lic a tio n o f o ra l tex ts is n o t to b eco m e a m o rp h o u s . T h e q u a lify o f the tra n s la to r s a n d th e ir a b ility to c o n v e y an

artistic

re p re se n ta tio n o f th e o r ig in a l w ill h av e to be b o rn e in m in d i f th e d e p re d a tio n s o f the “ T h o u , O C h ie f” a n d s im ila r s c h o o ls o f w r ite r s a re n ot to d e s tro y the w h o le ch a rm a n d s ty le o f th e o r ig in a l c r e a to rs o f th e o ra l a rt. T h e u se o f E n g lis h s la n g term s is a lw a y s d a n g e ro u s in w o r k s o f th is k in d a n d o n p a g e 67 w e a re p re sen te d w ith “ b eaten u p ” a n d “ d re s s in g d o w n ” in c o n s e c u tiv e lin es.

S u c h ex p re s s io n s as “ b lew . . . th

e following

a ir ” (p . 23) a n d “ to s in g th e

follonin"

v e rs e s ” (p. 180), w o u ld n e v e r b e u tte re d b y th e t r u ly illite r a te . T h e y a re w r it e r s ’ c lic h e s.

T h e p rin te rs a ls o h a v e an o b lig a tio n to th e w r ite r o r te lle r to sp ac e th e ir p a r a g ra p h s an d lin e s in su ch a w a y as to s u g g e s t th e t e llin g o f a ta le . T h is fa u lt is p a r tic u la r ly n o tic e a b le in s e v e ra l o f th e e x a m p les g iv e n w h ic h d o n o t s u g g e s t to th e e y e an o ra l o r ig in .

A n o th e r tra p fo r th e u n w a r y is th e co m m o n fa u lt o f u s in g a rc h a ic E n g lis h to s u g g e s t p rim itiv e n e s s o n th e p art o f th e A fric a n s to r y te lle r , a n d an e q u a lly fa m ilia r b le m ish is th e e m p lo y m e n t o f s u p e rla tiv e s a n d u n n e c e s sa ry a d je c tiv e s w h ic h d o n o t o c c u r in th e o r ig in a l v e rn a c u la r.

F in a lly , fo r th is s eries to be u se fu l to s c h o la rs (as th e p u b lis h e rs c la im ), it s h o u ld s u re ly h av e h ad an in d e x o f th e s u b je c t m a tte r. A ls o , it is c le a r th at th e p u b lis h e rs m a y k n o w th e c o m p ile r, w h o he is , a n d w h a t h is q u a lific a tio n s fo r th e w o rk . T h e g e n e r a l p u b lic a n d the n e w stu d e n ts w h o w ill w a n t to c o n s u lt th is s eries a re le ft e n tir e ly in th e d a rk .

T h e s e p e rh a p s a re te c h n ic a l m a tte rs w h ic h w ill be iro n e d o u t as th e s cries p ro c ee d s. H o w e v e r, the n e c e s sity fo r m e c h a n ica l s o u n d re c o rd in g s fro m w h ic h to tra n s c rib e o ra l tex ts re m a in s fu n d a m en ta l to th e su c ce ss o f th e w h o le sch em e a n d is ev en m o re u rg e n t th an th e ir p u b lic a tio n w h ic h can then be ta c k le d as a n d w h en th e o p p o r tu n ity a n d th e lite r a r y a b ility o f th e co la b o ra to rs p resen t th e m s e lv e s.

11. T .

* * * * *

“ S IN C E S IN G IN G IS S O G O O D A T H IN G ” . H an d b o o k fo r M u s ic T e a c h e rs a n d C h o ir M aste rs.

by

G R A H A M H Y S L O P . O x fo rd U n iv e rs ity P ress, N a iro b i, 1964. p p. 127.

T h is h an d b o o k is th e w o r k o f a d e d ic a te d m an . It is , in b rie f, a r e w r it in g o f e v e r y sch o o l te x tb o o k o n th e s u b je c t, b u t g iv e n a N a iro b i s e ttin g , w h e re th e p resen ce o f A fric a n p u p ils an d te a c h e rs d em a n d s