Adapting the Cameroonian Oral Tale in the Funnel of Process Drama, Education and Wildlife Conservation

Oral narratives have been at the centre of the moralizing and educational process in traditional African societies. Apart from uniting families by the fireside, the storytelling event has facilitated the transmission of oral tales from one generation to the next. As society evolves within the dictates of modernization, the storytelling event has lost its essence in society. Even in remote areas, the presence of a generator and a television screen is enough to pull families from the fireside and keep them glued to the television set. In urban areas, the cell phone has taken over family reunion and distanced parents from their children. This paper will evaluate the role of the classroom teacher in formal learning settings in filling the gaps created by the absence of the storytelling event. It will examine the role of Process Drama in transforming oral narratives to meet the current needs of the society. Our focus will be on wildlife conservation which has been a major source of conflict in traditional societies where the people have hitherto dependent on bush meat for their survival and social prowess. With the aid of adaptation and the dynamics of process drama, we will examine how the folktale is transformed into a play with the aid of the classroom teacher and the contributions of the learners. The performance context will reveal how the tale is ripped from its original state to a new version that addresses an urgent and universal concern such as poaching.

Keywords: Adaptation, Oral narratives, Process drama, Wildlife Conservation, and Storytelling Event.