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Why are Folktales Important to African Culture

Why are Folktales Important to African Culture Folktales can be used to teach children about various cultural customs, serve as role models for good character characteristics, teach them about the repercussions of their choices, and even improve their reading abilities.

Our collection of folktales from the greatest oral cultures on earth was created to introduce kids to classic tales and foster a love of reading. These incredibly captivating tales cover a variety of various story traditions. We have gathered folktales from far-off locales like the Marshall Islands or Siberia as well as China, Africa, Latin America, India, Europe, Malaysia, the Middle East, and Malaysia.

Margaret also cites there are many forms and genres of folktales including:

Animal Stories
Epics
Fables
Fairytales
Legends
Myths
Tall Tales
Urban Legends

Folktales were developed for hearing since they were passed down orally, making them simple to memorize and convey. Children find it simpler to distinguish between characters, follow a storyline, or recall a series of events as a result of folktales. It should come as no surprise that engaging with folktales can aid kids in acquiring the vital reading abilities of phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension necessary to satisfy the objectives set forth in the Common Core Standards for Reading.

These timeless tales not only provide hours of enjoyment, but they also contribute significantly to the transmission of fundamental principles or virtues. Folktales were frequently used to convey a shared history, to uphold cultural ideals, or to emphasize significant traditions.

People who belonged to a tribe or lived in a small hamlet were forced by necessity to get along well with one another and avoid violence. Usually, the only people who could confront someone about breaking the law were the chief, a high priest, or a shaman. Stories were consequently frequently told to purposefully explain how a transgression had happened. The individual at fault might then realize how similar their behaviors are to a character’s errors in the novel.

Folktales helped to reinforce expectations about how to live a meaningful life by modeling actions as they were passed down through the generations. Characteristics like kindness, resourcefulness, trustworthiness, or bravery were subtly woven into folktales over time.

Folktales serve as another example of how to make good decisions. Folktale characters frequently face issues that call on them to make tough choices and take action in order to resolve. Making “good” or more responsible decisions results in favorable outcomes, while making “bad” or irresponsible judgments invariably ends in negative outcomes. These actions then have clear aftereffects that convey a message. Folktales can thus illustrate the significance of making difficult choices in difficult situations. Children learn the value of making wise decisions in their life by participating in discussions about the effects of impulsive or poorly thought-out actions.
By their very essence, folktales embrace diversity. Children can get insightful knowledge about another culture’s values, beliefs, history, practices, and customs by reading stories from many civilizations. Children who learn about different cultural traditions not only have a wider perspective on the world, but they also frequently have a deeper understanding of their own family’s history.