THE INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORAL LITERATURE AND MUSEUM STUDIES

Abstract

Oral literature and museums are intimately related to each other. While the former is an academic discipline, the latter is an institution. This article examines the historical background of the study of oral literature and the historical development of the museum so that the relationship between the two can be easily appreciated. The article argues that oral literature, as a form of folklore, can help to create good museums and that the museum, on the other hand, can contribute to the study of oral literature. This interrelationship, once appreciated by both oral literature scholars (folklorists) and museologists (museum scholars), will be of tremendous benefit to the study of oral literature as an academic discipline and to the development of more thematic museums, especially in Africa where oral literature is a dynamic aspect of societal life.