As modernisation and globalisation expose younger generations to change, many communities increasingly face the risk of losing important elements of their cultural heritage.
In Africa and beyond, particular speech communities have relied on folktales to transfer knowledge, history and moral lessons from one generation to another.
National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) has embarked on the documentation of folktales of indigenous communities of Uganda, starting with the Jopadhola and Karimojong people.
The project aims to shore up the preservation of communities’ cultural identities, facilitate inter-generational knowledge transfer, and create a valuable resource for future education research.
According to Phillip Oketcho, the Manager Literature Bureau, a department of NCDC that is spearheading the effort, the focus of the collection of the folktales will be on minority communities with largely undocumented histories.
NCDC has enlisted a team to transcribe the folktales so far collected in form of audio and video recordings from key resource persons among the Jopadhola and Karimojong people. The Jopadhola are a Nilotic ethnic group of Luo people who live in Eastern Uganda mainly in Tororo district. The Karimojong belong to the Ateker/Itunga group of Nilotes, living in several districts in north-eastern uganda namely Moroto, Kaabong, Kotido, Amudat, Nakapiripirit, Abim and Napak
See photos from album
