Abstract:
This study focuses on the role of multigenerism in African Oral Literature in performance. On this prism, the research used Bukusu's embalu and Makunduchils mwaka kogwa rituals as platforms and springboards to unravel the importance of muiltigenerism nature of African Oral Literature in performance; a lacuna that has not been fillly exploited The study has underscored the fact that, African Oral Literature should not be analysed as independent units. The research findings show that, the two rituals are constructed and empowered to perform their factions through a continuous interplay of inseparable genres which constantly interrelate through processes like intertextuality, dialogism, genre eclipsing, generic chorusing and genre reconstruction, while in performance. These genre dynamics helps these two rituals to perform their fitnctions through several ways; which this paper diseases in detail. These findings com/irms what Senkaro (2()1]a) alludes that genres in African Oral literature refuses to be itemised into independent units. The research makes a contribution towards improving the approaches used in analysing African Oral Literature with the multigeneric reality in mind; contrary to the usual approaches, (Baya 2012), (Okporoboro 2006), (Ogumbivi I988) and (Kubik 1977). This research was conducted in Bungoma County and Zanzibar Island, where the researcher to collect songs, praise poettfv, dirges and chants that were perfortne in the two rituals. A blend of Ethnopoetics and Ernic Theory guided /he L'()l]g('[[gy] and interpretation of data about the multigeneric naturc of Afivcon Oral Literature. Ethrtopoetics helped the researcher to collect data by mingling and interacting with the study community, while the Emic Theory quided the researelier into utilizing the insiders’ views on the nature of the study community's oral literature. An Ethnomethodological approach which included participation, observation and interviews was applied in the data collection. Data interpretation and analysis was done using the interpretivism aproach to give a descriptive analysis guided by the research objectives and the tenets of the two theories.
