Technauriture: The Intersection Between Orature and Technology

This chapter expounds on the inter-sectional relationship between orature, auriture, and technology, making a case for technauriture as a movement for the revitalisation of African Oral Literature in the twenty-first century. The premise of this study stems from the observation of debates on the nature of orality and its relationship with technologies; some call it “the orality-literacy debate”, and an exploratory question on how we can preserve oral literature in the dispensing world of digital technology. Data were collected through an empirical desktop review of the literature related to the intersection between orature and technology in the digitised world; qualitative data were collected through the creation and review of culturalised artefacts in the form of blogs and vlogs by 20 participants from the field of English and Applied Linguistics Master’s programme, and an open-ended questionnaire was used to capture participants’ reflections on the task. The findings assert that to a certain degree orality and technology represent two sides of the same coin. Both accept the innate value of oral cultures and oral tradition, differently but co-dependently. The study enlightens on how technology is inherently traditional to African oral culture and suggests strategies on how digital technology interfaces with orality by making a case for a future of technology and African orality. The chapter ends by making a case for social media as a digital literacy tool by discussing its place in fostering traditional African oral literature, and its influence on African performances of oral stories. The study recommends technauriture as a phenomenal paradigm shift for the creation of African oral literature, its digitalisation, and expansion in the modern world.