A true understanding of African modern culture necessitates awareness of the lore of African oral tradition, and this essay illuminates various aspects of orality in West Africa. Oral utterance is a social attribute inherent in human beings, and the oral tradition is the essence of African civilization. Africans believe in the representational power of oral language in the creation of the world, and value its infinite ability to cause action. This essay explores the functions of African oral languages as means of communication, holy expression, materializing authority, governing and ruling, connecting ancestors and descendants, aesthetically and poetically conveying human experiences, and narrating creation myths. Despite its many functions, the use of oral language is rigorously controlled by usage rules. The orality in West African culture has influenced African literature to this day. This essay reveals how orality in African culture has been restored or subverted.

West African culture, orality, oral language, oral literature