IMPORTANCE OF ORAL HISTORY [TELLING OUR TALES]
When I was a kid, story telling was a tradition. Young people often gathered around elderly persons or parents who told them moonlight tales. The tales revolved around creation, nature, origin and history of human existence; of course our value system and ancestral heritage. The tales included events, landmark, incidents, actions, reactions, and consequence of choices as well as our customs, tradition and behaviors. These gatherings offered opportunities to instruct and inform young ones on various aspects of human history and perspective including tales of origin: who we are, where we migrated from and how we eventually settled where we are. It afforded the young the chance to learn about why we do certain things and behave in particular ways such as: traditional presentation and breaking of kola nut, traditional marriages, celebration of births, naming of a child, funerals, music and dance styles as well as the names we bear. This is oral history.
Today you hardly see a family gather for moonlight stories. It could be attributed to the jet age of rapid scientific discovery and development, which include the emergence of electric light. Another reason could be that today’s parents are too busy working out their lives and therefore pay no attention to this important aspect of our tradition; while kids on the other hand are more interested in exploring scientific scenes such as watching television programs, messing with computers/video games and browsing the internet.
At schools and colleges, pupils are encouraged to read various books on science, arts, discoveries, music, history, including great people. They are taught history of other lands, world history, and race such as Greek, Romans, medieval Europe and American history; lately, some Africa countries and ancient empires such as: Ashanti, Egypt, Gold Coast, South Africa and Nigeria, etc; but little or nothing mentioned of the child’s tribe, town or people. It could be assumed that parents have taught their children this important aspect of oral history in early childhood; but to our surprise this is not so. The gap created here is that a child grows up learning other culture and spheres, knowing little or nothing about his/her own history and culture. In some odd situations a youth learns about his ancestors from an outsider perhaps at the occurrence of an event or incident. This is sad and unfortunate.
A world statesman and historian Winston Churchill made this statement, as I quote: “Every nation or group of nations has its own tales to tell. Knowledge of trials and struggles is necessary to all who would comprehend the problems, trials, challenges and opportunities which confront us today.” Simply put, a study of history put modern ideas and institutions in perspective. Another great mind and philosopher George Santayana commented “Those who cannot remember their past are condemned to repeat it.” Santayana’ philosophy subscribes to the thought that contemporary society can benefit and learn from studying the past. Victoria Sherrow in her book “The Titanic” further opined “studying an event that led up to major wars or other significant historical events would allow society to chart a different and more favorable course in the future”.
TELLING OUR TALES
Our tale is whom we are, how we got to where we are? What is our past and what does it teach us or do we learn from it? Our tale is our history and it is for all generations. A logical revelation is that exploring what happened in our past, explains how some things we often take for granted- our customs, ideas, and institutions, came to be. Little wonder why historians at every opportunity – conference, seminars, schools etc always make a case for reasons students should study history, as well as why parents should tell their offspring tales of their past.
Despite this great awareness, we still have been raising a generation that knows nothing about their story or are historically illiterate. The reality is that our past is slipping away. We are losing our tale, forgetting who we are and how and what it took to come thus far. This is reflected in the repeated mistake of the past, often made by today’s generation.
WHY HISTORY?
Macmillan school dictionary defined history as a story record of what has happened in the past as a nation, nations or people usually including the development of ideas and institutions as well as specific events. That’s history! David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize winner commented -“History shows us how to behave; teaches and reinforces what we believe in, what we stand for and what we ought to be willing to stand up for. It is about life, human nature and the human condition, and all its trials, failings and noblest achievements. History is about cause and effect, about the simplest of everyday things and the mysteries of change and genius”. History reveals choices before us. Just as it teaches the evils of injustices, ignorance and demagoguery on one hand, it also teaches the potency of courage, appreciation, patriotism and real love for one’s country on the other hand. “What we are, everything we have – our values, heritage, great institution, laws, music, art and poetry, our freedom, government and people is because some persons went before us and did great hard jobs. They made sacrifices, faced hardship, fought wars and “face storms” provided creative energy, conducive environment and kept the faith. Many lost their lives, some fractured while others endured pains, suffered for infraction like: imprisonment and persecutions etc, to get to where we are. As unsettling as events may be, our predecessors had known worst days than ourselves. To feel indifferent about our history cannot just be considered lack of interest and ignorance but a form of ingratitude.
An oracle in one of the December 2002 Digest also opined that history encourages as nothing else does, a sense of proportion about life, gives us a sense of how brief, short and frail our time/life is on earth and how valuable that time is. It further adduces that history speaks volumes on the time we live – era of momentous change, creating great pressure and illusions. It shows we learn fast during times of tumult and effect changes. Historian Barbara Tuchman put it in two words “Tell stories” which means history is our story, learns it, upholds it and enjoys it. History is not only a civil way; it is an extension of life, enlarges and intensifies the experience of being alive.
We are no doubt aware of the tremendous benefits in studying one’s past and telling tales to our children. We need to rejuvenate tale telling at home since charity begins there. Time Warner Cable school magazine on history and technology effort is commendable when it started featuring the introduction of oral history in classroom through resources such as video tapes, written scripts, and video documentaries, as part of classroom curriculum. This is passive oral history. It also includes to a large extent internet resources for information/data. Also through active oral history project, student research topics, conduct writing experience which requires critical thinking and create historical demonstration.
It is a known fact that a good proportion of our history is undocumented and unwritten. Also some great minds do not write books. They present speeches, seminar papers, etc; at various occasions/events and are opened for interviews. Also most of our old folks that are privileged to have knowledge of past events are aged and some are illiterates. Since the events were not documented there exists the possibility of losing authenticity overtime. By conducting their own interviews, students have the opportunity to learn from the actual history makers themselves, instead of extracting viewpoints from textbooks written by Authors, some of whose purpose were undefined.
One African American man said to me “I hate Africans because their progenitors sold our great ancestors into slavery. They are the root of our problems – the segregation”. I asked him, what is your source of information? He said, “We are told by our parents, read in textbooks and it is common knowledge”. I asked him; did your source inform you that in some cases, your ancestors were carried away in pretense and deceit that they were to receive white man’s education and trade? Some were diverted from their initial destination in Europe to America; white colonial masters manipulated this change for money. There is no gain saying the fact that slave trade existed between the colonial white’s and some Africans chiefs, but ‘they’ told you what they wanted you to hear-the partial truth. Another African-American guy of Nigerian parents said to me, Man, why do you Nigerians make a big deal about kola? You also waste money on traditional marriage, when you can have a court or Church wedding? After all, court or church weddings are legal wile traditional marriages are not”. The discussion that followed is now history. I took time to explain the significance of kola nut and traditional marriages in our society and how it has helped to reduce incidence of divorce and held couples together in our society even when they are passing through rough times.
Africa is a unique continent, very rich and blessed with variety of cultures; are preservers of cultural heritage and traditions. Even in far distant places from home like Europe and United state of America, we uphold our cultures, by our dressings, music, dancing styles and own African stores and shops, where our food items and wears are sold. In a place like Houston in Texas, some other parts of America, we have reunited with our kids and kin’s of African-American and feel home away from home. Our culture is reflected in our salutations and respect for elders. Wherever we gather or have occasions to celebrate, we take time to break our kola nut (s) as tradition demands, address ourselves according to the names/titles we bear, play our music, dance our styles, and so on. We form associations and hold meetings, share joys and sorrows together; help out the needy ones, even in the community we live in and contribute to the development of the city etc.
However similar to what has happened in other cultures and tribes, we are raising generations that cannot tell our tales for no fault of theirs. We are gradually losing our story, forgetting who we are, and from where and how we have come to our present abode. The reason is not far-fetched. It could be attributed to our living in a diversified cultural environment; this affects our taste, desires and way of life. Parents are either too busy working out their lives, have lost interest or are ignorant of our culture and tradition; hence cannot educate their offspring’s. Children brought up in this mixed cultural state, imbibe what they see around them, watch on television screens, learned from peers and perhaps taught at schools. Nothing about their cultures is taught at home or at school; they grow up ignorant of who they are and what they believe in. Some people do not consider it important at all. These kids sometimes do not even know who their close/real relatives are. Against the formal teachings at school, it surprises them why we are a family, our brother’s keeper, hold meetings together, share in joys and grief’s, encouraged and support each other. Some answer native names and do not know what the names stand for. Others have Americanized their names or worst still change it. I once asked a chap in high school whose name is “IKEOHA” the meaning of his name; he frankly told me “I don’t know, my Nigerian father named me.
We need to educate our kids on who we are and what we believe in, why and how we do certain things, and the significance of the things we do. It is our responsibility as parents to inform our young ones on our tradition and cultures, so that they could pass them on to future generations; but we can’t give what we don’t have. We also need to conduct more oral interviews on our old folks before they all pass on with untapped resources. We could create forums where our old folks could be invited to speak to us or discuss on certain aspect of our cultures. In our meetings, we should develop a program on our cultural forum for children and ourselves. In these fora, we exchange views on our cultures and traditions. For example: During the Nigeria civil war (1966-70), our relations who were born and raised in Northern Nigeria struggled to find their way home. They were guided by the oral history their parents told them. When they finally made it to our town, the community leaders, through their confession were able to trace their relations and reunited them. Today those young people are doing well and are useful citizen of the community and nation. We need to regain our lost values and tradition. Let’s tell our stories, enjoy it and be proud of it.