African Stories – a new myth for Life? October 10, 2007
Posted by Clarissa Hughes in : African Peoples , trackback
No-one can deny that there is a groundswell movement of concern for the environment. For too long our industrial-age mindset has exploited and subjugated the natural world and it is now becoming apparent that this cannot continue without severe consequences for the human race.
To survive as a species it is now well recognized that the human family must rise to the challenge of changing its attitude and thinking. Our adapted outlook will need to embrace the diversity of Life and realize that we are but players in its great drama. We will need to retrieve that profound sense of belonging to the whole, rather than our present perception of differentiation and conquest over Mother Nature.
So how does a society (global or otherwise) transform itself? Through stories: stories sustain us, stories inspire us and stories comfort us. Stories uphold all the religions of the world and form the basis of all beliefs. Tales of good and evil, life and death, love and hate have nurtured human beings from time immemorial. Throughout history myths and legends have inspired great acts of love and sacrifice. They have motivated many a hero and heroine against overwhelming odds. And, when life hits a low point, souls are sustained by tales of redemption and salvation.
I have had a strong sense for many years that Africa will give birth to these stories.
As a symbol of the natural world Africa is well placed to inspire these stories as there are still places in Africa where you can hear a faint echo of what it was like in the beginning when man lived in harmony, rather than at odds, with nature. And so it is that I believe African stories can help in this necessary transformation of the global consciousness.
In “My Heart Stands in the Hill” by Janette Deacon & Craig Foster the stories and beliefs of the //Xam Bushmen of the Northern Cape illustrate the great sense of belonging these people felt in their landscape.
In “Tlou, The Elephant Story” by Bontekanye Botumile she describes the creation of an elephant from a human, basing this on the tribal belief that “elephants are first cousins of human beings”.
As the archetypal symbol of the human spirit, the wind is an important metaphor for transformation. As Kabbo, a Bushman interviewed by William Bleek & Lucy Lloyd in the 19th Century, said “I am waiting … that I may set my feet forward in the path … I … listen, watching for a story, which I want to hear … that it may float into my ear … I feel that my name floats along the road … along to my place … I feel that a story is the wind.”
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Just as an example of how stories from Africa can inspire people to change our world, I recently found Miskeeto (www.miskeeto.com), whose company ethos is based on the African proverb; “If you think you are too small to make a difference, trying sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito.”
Their goal is “…to help companies develop socially-conscious sites, products and services that improve the world.”