Exploring the oral-written interface with particular reference to Xhosa oral poetry

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Periodical article

Title:	Exploring the oral-written interface with particular reference to Xhosa oral poetry
Author:	Kaschula, Russell H.
Year:	1997
Periodical:	Research in African Literatures
Volume:	28
Issue:	1
Pages:	173-191
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	oral poetry Xhosa language literature
About person:	Zolani Mkiva
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/3819927
Abstract:	Xhosa oral poetry is still flourishing, approximately 170 years after the introduction of writing. Xhosa authors have also produced many volumes of written poetry, drawing on both European as well as traditional African influences. The impact of writing on an oral culture may cause changes in the oral memory, or thought patterns and structures; the introduction of writing and print places less demand on memory. This article deals with the interface between the oral and the written, which presents an excellent opportunity for exploring the dynamics of orality and literacy in contemporary South Africa. It focuses on the oral-written interface in relation to two Xhosa poets/'iimbongi', namely Lordwyck Xozwa and Zolani Mkiva. Bibliogr., notes, ref.