WSU PROFESSOR CHAMPIONS AFRICAN ORAL TRADITIONS AS PILLARS OF KNOWLEDGE

Prof Enongene Sone’s inaugural lecture emphasised the central role of African oral traditions as a rich intellectual heritage that challenges colonial erasure.

Titled: “Orality and intellectualism: The role of Oral Literature in shaping Africa’s Knowledge Systems,” the lecture focused on how the art of storytelling, proverbs and spoken word have shaped the identity of the African continent.

His work has earned him a C2 rating from the National research Foundation, making him a full Professor of African and English Literary Studies.

Sone opened his lecture by describing himself as a custodian of stories, voices, and memories:  echoes of Africa’s intellectual heritage once passed down orally around fires, under trees, and in royal palaces, long before ink and paper.

“This lecture calls for a new way of thinking: a decolonised view of intellectualism that recognises oral traditions as a foundation of Africa’s knowledge and culture. It shows how orality and intellectualism are connected, and how stories, proverbs, and spoken traditions continue to shape ideas and cultural practices across the continent,” said Sone.

He argued that African knowledge systems, preserved through proverbs, folktales, praise poetry, and traditional healing practices, are robust and sophisticated: shaping ethics, governance, and cultural resilience.

Outlining six key dimensions, including philosophy, the role of orality, colonial marginalisation, digital revitalisation, and the responsibility of university lecturers, he stressed the need for a decolonised understanding of intellectualism that recognises oral traditions as foundational to African scholarship.

“Africa has always been thinking. Africa has always been teaching. Long before the printed words, they were works performed, some chanted, debated and woven into the very fabric of our communal life,” he said.

He added, “our philosophers spoke in Proverbs, our historians presided genealogists. Our scientists encoded medicinal knowledge in myths and rituals yet colonizing.”

The lecture further called for a rethinking of curricula in African higher education to integrate indigenous knowledge systems and move beyond Eurocentric frameworks.

By citing examples such as Venda praise poetry protecting sacred mountains and traditional healers’ preservation of plant-based medicine, Sone illustrated the cognitive sophistication and practical wisdom embedded in oral traditions.

He concluded with a call for visionary leadership, urging African academics to preserve cultural memory, harness digital tools to amplify African voices, and inspire future generations through oral storytelling.

Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor Prof Nolundi Songca honoured Sone, applauding his contributions since joining the university in 2014.

Songca commended the impact of his research on African literature and knowledge systems, noting its vital role in amplifying African voices in global conversations

she said: “Your research in African Literature and Cultural Studies does more than document our past, it creates a foundation of wealth for our future. When you explore how oral traditions shape knowledge systems, you are not just preserving culture; you are demonstrating African ways of addressing contemporary challenges.”

“For researchers in the audience, the path from 2014 to this podium was not travelled alone, it was supported by mentors, sustained by community, and driven by the kind of intellectual curiosity that defines true scholarship.”

Sone’s work aligns with the United Nations’ 10th Strategic Goal, which seeks to empower and promote inclusion for all, regardless of cultural background.

By recognising and validating African oral traditions, his work challenges colonial marginalisation and reduces inequality in knowledge by giving value to indigenous knowledge systems.

By Ongezwa Sigodi