VALUES OF ORAL LITERATURE IN THE SOCIETY: A STUDY OF FOLKTALES OFOGBA IN RIVERS STATE

ABSTRACT : Oral literature is a creative work of art that portends high merit and has the creative use of imagination in preliterate societies. It adopts the genres of literature: drama, prose and poetry in the oral milieu, using performance as its hallmark. It thrives on the use of oral data because of its orality. This paper focuses on the moral values or oral literature in the society using Ogba as a spring board. The study was carried out in communities ofOgba. The population of the study consists of ten towns and village, in Ogba. The theoretical framework used is Dell Hyme’s ethno-poetics because the works of oral literature relate to the society. This paper concludes that oral literature serves to against all odds; communicate ideas, emotions, beliefs and appreciation of life. The folktales in Ogba for instance, serve similar purpose through their rendition/performance. Through the stories, the younger generation in Ogba society is familiarised with the customs, traditions, and rituals prevalent in the society. This paper therefore recommends the use of oral literature in all its genres to inculcate moral values and lessons to the teenagers and youths. Against this background, Ogba (African) themselves must cease to regard oral literature as primitive and fetish.

KEYWORDS: Values, Oral Literature, Society, Ogba, Folktales.