Let’s document our oral literature

Editor,Dear Allan, Your article is quite interesting. While I don’t condemn those who practise reading or the very minority of writers, I’ve long argued that we Rwandans and indeed Africans are an oral society. Information and indeed history has been passed from generationsto generation orally quite accurately. My family lineage (Igisekuruza) was passed on to me orally and I can recite names of my grandfathers to the 14th great grandfather (Kigeri Mukobanya IV) without reading.It occurs to me that I’ve not even felt the need to write it down. It’s a shame, isn’t it? While societies that embrace reading culture and researchers often question the validity of oral history and may have a point in their argument, I think the argument is also valid for written literature. We often hear (as we don’t read) on Radio, TV and through casual talk of written articles, research reports and indeed books critiqued or even bitterly criticised for methodological errors, lack of representative samples, doubts about informants etc.... Perhaps the most recently talked about and bitterly criticised written literature was the “UN report on DRC”. Whoever thinks that writing/reading is the “best/accurate” way to pass information on than oral methods should surely take a minute to read this article. I’m of the view that we (oral culture societies) and indeed cultural anthropologists may want to explore developing tools for translating existing written literature as well as documenting oral literature in form of voice recordings, through video or at the very least pictorial literature. I believe a whole lucrative business industry (as valuable as Euro-football) simply awaits to be exploited. The only danger is that written literature may suffer and the minority emerging African writers may run out of business. Call my hypothesis the “Oral knowledge/Oral science era”.Rugez Nshuti, Kigali ------------------------------------ You are wrong Allan! We are not talking, we are gossiping. We know who is flirting with who’s wife, which soldier fights better than the whole RDF put together, why so and so are divorcing, who is taking or receiving bribes, what the First Lady said yesterday in the privacy of her home, who is the President’s favourite minister,..................... Long list. But you dare ask us to substantiate or provide some proof, or just sit at a popular social joint or hair salon and pretend to read a newspaper as you listen carefully, then you will get to know whether we are talking or gossiping.Hope, Mile 40 Nyamirambo, Kigali (Reactions to the article, “Stop complaining about reading culture, we are talking,” by Allan Brian Ssenyonga in SundayTimes January 13)

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Let’s document our oral literature