On the Interface of Orality and Literacy: The Case of Jacques Fame Ndongo’s "Espaces de Lumière"

Abstract

This study seeks to show how the interface of orality and literacy is manifested in Jacques Fame Ndongo’s collection of poems titled Espaces de lumière. The notion of interface has been tackled from four different angles, namely, emphasis on celebration, the use of African idioms and indigenous vocabulary, the use of certain syntactic constructions that are reminiscent of modes of expression in orally based cultures and the high incidence of rhythm and rhyme associated with traditional poetry. The paper argues that the use of these elements associated with African oral traditions contributes to the poet’s aesthetic achievement. It concludes that the indebtedness of the poet to African oral traditions and his appropriations of elements of this tradition have led to the hybridization of his poetic tradition, a tradition sustained by both orality and literacy.