Retelling the World

The Shape of Stories to Come

Stories are the fuel on which the human mind turns, and the art of telling them, is one of the fundamental things that makes us human.
Storytelling traditions – particularly the spoken word, and tales shared around the fire – are the cornerstone of how cultures are transferred and kept alive from generation to generation. Storytelling is how we reinscribe our rituals, traditions and family heritages.

In many African cultures there’s no firm boundary between storytelling, and other forms of expression like music and art. In Ndebele culture storytelling in central, and even dance is considered a form of storytelling.

African storytelling legend Gcina Mhlophe recounts the ancient folktale of Khethiwe the magical musician and saviour, in her timeless story ‘Queen of Imbira’.

The legend tells of a young girl, long ago, Khetiwe who fell in love with the sound of music, and desperately wanted to play Imbira. The king of that land, however, was adamant that only boys in his kingdom could play music. One evening she encountered a river spirit who gifts her an imbira. She practiced in secrecy, and one day when the king is on his deathbed, she saved his life, and the kingdom, through her mystical music and the power of her playing.

Khetiwe saved her tribe, but more importantly she showed that we shouldn’t make assumptions about who can do what, based on where people are from, or what gender they are. The ability to effectively absorb, and retell stories, adding your own creative flare, is a fundamental life skill, closely related to confidence, literacy, and leadership.

In South Africa, although great strides have been made in democratising access to education and literacy, a lack of libraries and books in primary schools is a limiting factor, hindering literacy amongst our youth.

Developing reading ability from a young age is crucial, as it opens doors to academic success and in turn career fulfilment. Without strong reading skills, opportunities both in school and beyond could be limited.

For centuries, African stories were side-lined by the global West and North, but the veil of bias has been broken, and African stories are now taking their rightful place in the global metanarrative.

The damage done by colonial storytelling is being repaired as we witness an African storytelling renaissance, reimagining a more inclusive, Afrocentric trajectory for the world’s story.

This shift is evident across all forms of storytelling where African stories and perspectives are rising to prominence, from creche classrooms to the upper echelons of Hollywood.

Whereas in the past, our stories were confined to a narrow script of acceptable African narratives, often only focussed on negative aspects, like poverty, hunger and war. This historic return to more Afrocentric modes of storytelling will encourage literacy by making stories relatable and allowing our children to see themselves represented.

We’re now seeing far more representation in the media of our booming tech industry, amazing African city architecture, African humour, and Afrofuturism – a uniquely African genre of science fiction that imagines a more inclusive, Afrocentric trajectory for the world’s story, moving forward.

South Africa has a rich storytelling heritage, a skill that was passed down from generation to generation but somewhat lost as we made way for digital and electronic methods of consuming content in recent times.

However, these new technologies also offer a platform for African culture, stories, art, and aesthetics to thrive. Although our digital lives sometimes threaten to stifle authentic oral in-person storytelling, we must also recognise that the digital sphere has also elevated global storytelling, thereby contributing to a more empathic, engaged, and creative society.