The Use of Allusion in Tonga Work Songs: Its Social and Economic Implication
Keywords:
Tonga, Work songs, Poetic element, Social meaning/implication, Allusion
Abstract
This article sets out to examine the use of allusion in selected Tonga work songs. Whereas there is extensive and impressive documentation about the Tonga people and their culture, their history, and even their literature, by authors like Elizabeth Colson, there is hardly any documentation on the use of allusion and its social implications in Tonga work songs. Therefore, this study gives utter attention to one poetic element – the allusion, in the Tonga work songs and argues that allusion reflects the Tonga people’s social and economic activities through work songs. The study mainly used the qualitative method to collect data from respondents. This article is a brain child of research work which was conducted in two ways namely, through desk research and field research in three districts of Southern Province in Zambia. A total of 35 work songs were collected through interview guide, questionnaires, and Focus Group Discussions. The study revealed that Tonga work songs help lighten the work, comment on perpetual unpalatable social tendencies, communicate values of hard work, social cohesion, and objectives and share memories of the past other than culture transmission to the young generation. The study also revealed that Tonga Work songs are rich in Poetic elements such as allusion that inculcate a sense of self-responsibility among others. The study further reveals that allusion in Tonga work songs reflects Tonga people’s past and their agricultural inclination, a reflection of Tonga’s main economic activity. What comes out of this study also is that there are hardly any allusions to Tonga’s paramountcy of chiefs like in other tribes in southern Africa.References
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2. Chibbalo, E. (1983). Social Context and Literary Aspects of Kuyabila Songs: A study of the Kuyabila as performed by the Tonga of Southern province of Zambia. Unpublished MA. Dissertation. University of Zambia.
3. Chilala, C. (2018). Dorika’s Metamorphosis: The allusive potency of a comic character. In: I. Chukwumah, ed., Joke-Performance in Africa: Mode, Media and Meaning. London and New York: Routledge
4. Chilala, C. (2011). The African Narrative Tale as a Tool of Education. In: Schonmann, Shifra, Ed. Key Concepts in Theatre/Drama Education, pp159-162.
5. Chilala, C (2013). Through the Male Eyes: Gendered Styles in Contemporary Zambian Fiction. In: R M Chirambo and J K S Makokha, eds., Reading Contemporary African Literature: Critical Perspectives. Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi.
6. Cuddon, J.A. (1991). The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. London: Penguin Books
7. Bukagile, G. &Yogo, M. (2012). Literature in English Forrm 3 & 4. NP: Nyambari Nyangwine Publishers.
8. Finnegan, R. (2012). Oral Literature in Africa.UK: Open Book Publishers.
9. Finnegan, R. (1977). Oral Literature in Africa. Nairobi: Oxford University Press.
10. Finnegan, R. (1977). Oral Poetry: Its Nature, Significance and Social Context. Nairobi: Oxford University Press.
11. Irwin, W. (2001). What Is an Allusion? The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 59(3), 287–297. http://www.jstor.org/stable/432325
12. Lubbungu, J. (2016). Literary Discourse, Official Statistics and Observation Methods. Lusaka: Litovia Limited.
13. Mapanza, N.H. (1990). Nkolola Songs: A Literary Analysis of Initiation Songs of the Tonga people of Southern Zambia. Lusaka: University of Zambia.
14. Martin, B. & Ringham, F. (2006). Key Terms in Semiotics. London: Continuum.
15. Milimo, J.T. (1978). Bemba Royal Poetry. Unpublished D.Phil Thesis. University of Oxford.
16. Mulokozi, M.M. (1999). Study Report on the Common Oral Traditions of Southern Africa: A Survey of Tanzania Oral Traditions. Dar-es-Salaam: University of Dar-es-Salaam.
17. Mitchell, C.J. (1956). The Kalela Dance; Aspects of social Relationships among Urban Africans in Northern Rhodesia, The Rhodes-Livingstone papers No.27, Manchester University press.
18. Moyo, S.P.C. (1983). A Lingua-aesthetic Study of Ngoni Poetry. Unpublished PhD Thesis. University of Wisconsin.
19. Pasco, A. H. (2002). Allusion: A Literary Graft. United States: Rockwood Press.
20. Roberts, E.V. & Jacobs, H.E. (1998) (5thed). Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New York: NP.
21. Sutherland, J. (2011). 50 Literature Ideas You Really Need to know. London: Quercas Publishing.
22. Takara, H.K. (2008). Bemba Work Songs as Literary Forms: Functions and Symbolism. Unpublished MA Dissertation. University of Zambia.Zailinawah, A.H.,
23. Schatter,P., & Mazza, D. (2006). Doing A Pilot Study: Why is it Essential? Malaysian Family Physician, Volume 1, Number 2& 3.
Published
2023-11-27
How to Cite
Lubbungu, J. (2023) “The Use of Allusion in Tonga Work Songs: Its Social and Economic Implication”, Journal of Law and Social Sciences, 5(3), pp. 70-84. doi: https://doi.org/10.53974/unza.jlss.5.3.919.
Section
Articles