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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Pedagogy and Education for the Unlettered: A Case for Chagga Riddles |
Author: | Kamera, Willy D. |
Year: | 1990 |
Periodical: | Africana Marburgensia |
Volume: | 23 |
Issue: | 1 |
Pages: | 23-35 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Tanzania |
Subjects: | Chaga traditional education riddles Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) |
Abstract: | The author demonstrates the usefulness of riddles as an educative tool on the basis of the functions of riddles among the Chagga of Tanzania. Chagga children are expected to master the riddling procedure as soon as they master speech. During early childhood riddles mainly have an entertaining function. As the participants in riddle sessions advance in maturity, they are required to ponder the complexities of the riddles, to understand their philosophical implications and to live by their precepts. Thus, riddles are the vehicle for conveying social knowledge. The participants in riddle sessions formulate real problems and offer possible solutions. They describe persons, things and situations in metaphors and meaning is also sought and understood metaphorically. Ref. |