Setswana Oral Narrative Performance

Abstract

Storytelling traditions vary all over the world, yet they have many things in common. This paper argues that the Setswana storytelling session is a highly participatory event. The paper analyzes a storytelling event in Botswana, paying particular attention to the techniques, images and dramatic elements used by the narrator. Through performance studies, the paper shows the relationship between the text of the story and the context of its specific performance by paying particular attention not just to the words but also to the way they are delivered and used. Since oral storytelling is essentially a communal participatory experience, the paper also examines the role of the audience in an oral narrative performance.

Keywords: performance, storytelling, narrator, audience, narrative, Setswana