RETHINKING AFRICAN INGIDENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND ITS RELEVANCE IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT : THE CASE STUDIES OF EWONDO FOLKTALES

Folktales are sometimes seen as irrelevant in the context of contemporary development. Despite the general consensus on the artistic merits of traditional stories and the role played in the linguistic and cultural continuity of indigenous people, they are hardly used to improve man's socio-cultural environment. This paper attempts to show that development of the rural areas is impossible if it is not premised on their own historic-cultural conditions. In other words, the improvement of our traditional societies can never progress socially on the basis of unrestrictedly borrowed cultures. This work lays its foundations on the hypothesis that, traditional and popular culture can play a significant role in resolving local problems related to poverty, moral standards and education. To achieve the set objectives, we carried out field work which required a collection of oral tales narrated in some ethnic groups in Ewondo tribe .We also made use of observation methods and interview. Through direct questioning, we posed open-ended questions to our informants. The work is structured in two parts: the first examines the failure of traditional societies to incorporate the knowledge found in the folklore to improve their daily life, while the second part demonstrates the knowledge found in the oral tales and how it can help in the development of the rural communities.