The narration of fairy tales in Benin between tradition and modernity

Research on African oral literature is traditionally orientated towards genre-bound collections of proverbs, folk songs, riddles, epics, myths, legends and orally transmitted fairy tales. Within the realm of oral literature, the Fon, an ethnic group in Benin, are especially well-regarded for their rich tradition of fairy tales. Such tales were orally transmitted over many generations and central performative events took the form of storytelling evenings held at the village square. These were centered upon professional storytellers, the performance of whose tales were regarded as intangible cultural heritage. The central aim of this article is to discuss how the term fairy tales causes confusion among the Fon; from an African perspective, the genre boundaries in oral traditions are much more permeable and fluid than in the European context. The article also discusses the huge transformation in performativities of orally transmitted fairy tales and gives examples of the ways in which public story telling has changed in village life. Finally it discusses the future of storytelling, and especially fairy tales.