Philip Foday Yamba Thulla

Folk Literature and its effects on the Social Behaviour of the Temne in Sierra Leone Philip Foday Yamba Thulla

Folkliterature involves traditional songs, folktales, proverbs and riddles, which several decades ago directed the lives of Africans socially, politically, economically and culturally. In recent years, there has been a significant plunge in the approbation of traditional folk practices in Africa basically caused by assimilation and acculturation of Euro-western culture. Sierra Leone is no exception, especially among the young people who prefer foreign cultural practices to their Sierra Leone indigenous culture. To understand better this phenomenon, the study investigated the arts of the traditional oral narratives of the Temne people in northern Sierra Leone and examined the values of the Temne folkliterature in describing and directing their social behaviours.