Many early scholars have written essays about what can be labelled as world literature. World literature refers to stories and other works that are circulated beyond the country of origin. These stories are not geographically bound and are enjoyed by people all over the world. We already know that stories and storytelling are universal and can be found everywhere. But even if the different groups of people are telling the same story, the story will be different due to their cultures. The stories are told in different ways with their own cultural lenses and elements.
Hula dancing comes from Hawaii. Both men and women can dance hula. The dancers often wear a grass skirt or a leaf skirt with a flower necklace. They might put a flower in their hair too. These dancers do not dance to music. Instead, these hula dancers will move to the rhythm of a chant. The person chanting creates a rhythm by beating their hands on a squash. The chant and the dance are used to tell a story. These stories often include myths, gods, and goddesses.
Calypso is a kind of music that was developed in Trinidad. The lyrics describe local life and convey the happenings of the neighbourhood. The song is used to express ideas and thoughts that cannot be spoken. It shares the challenges people faced, injustice, and corruption. Due to the topics calypso often covers, it has been subjected to censorship.
Rakugo, which means fallen words, is enjoyed in Japan. It is based on funny monologues and ends with a punchline. Rakugo is performed by a single storyteller.The storyteller only has a small fan and a piece of cloth to tell the story. These stories tell us about daily lives and important historical and moral lessons.
Chinese shadow puppetry was very popular during the Tang and Song dynasties in China. These puppets were first made out of paper. Later on, they were made out of leather from different animals. The puppeteers tell the story with the silhouette of these puppets. They would also often sing in falsetto.
Zajal is an Arabic poetry slam or rap battle. This kind of poetry slam pits poets against each other. One poet begins by reciting a stanza. The stanza often insults the opponent. The opponent responds with another stanza with an identical meter and rhyme.
There are many different indigenous groups in Canada. Each group has a different culture and language. Many of these indigenous groups share stories orally. These storytellers must retell the stories accurately and pass on the underlying morals. The elders pass on their wisdom to the next generation. This is how the indigenous culture is preserved.
Cree literature often has the recurring theme of disappearing buffaloes. This theme refers to how their way of living by following the migration of buffaloes has also ended, and now they are confined to their reserves.
However, the British and the French colonized the land. They held a bias that written literature was more civilized, and thus they did not see as much value in oral literature. Even today, where written literature is prominent, many indigenous groups still rely on oral traditions to share knowledge.
There are so many ways to tell compelling stories. Storytelling is part of so many cultures. Their wisdom, teachings and messages can help build resiliency. There is so much to learn from the stories written and told before us. How does your culture tell stories?