Storytelling and Xhosa culture

Storytelling is an ancient art: it has been around since our ancestors sat around the fire and told stories to their grandchildren.

It was used to make children look forward to bedtime because that's when most of the stories were told.

It's a interesting way to teach children about their culture and improve their language and listening skills. Moreover, research reveals that telling stories to children makes them do better academically.

It's important for Xhosa people to tell stories because it is a part of our customs and rituals which are known as amasiko nezithethe.

Sadly, many Xhosa people today tend to follow new customs and religions, forgetting the important lessons storytelling gave them about their origin and culture. They no longer remember the ancient times when society was more equal, as everyone had cattle, praised Qama- ta and their ancestors and cared less about gold and money. We in the born-free generation have therefore become strangers to our greatgrandparents, who are now our ancestors.

Knowing where you come from does not mean returning to the past, but being better equipped for the future. The fact that many of us are poor and struggling to meet our daily needs should not prevent us from practising our culture; there is always a time for a story.

So even though we have electricity, we sometimes need to give our TVs a break and go back to our roots by sitting around a fire to tell stories. Through storytelling you will remember your ancestors: don’t embrace everything that was bought by colonisation, but use your past to strengthen your future. So if you think reading stories is outdated, think again! For the isiXhosa version go online to bit.ly/GrocSto