ABSTRACT
The first Europeans to be seriously interested in African cultures and in the spiritual life of indigenous peoples were Catholic and Protestant missionaries. The main objective of their presence in Africa, as elsewhere in the non-Christian world, was evangelical work. Such a task required language training, as well as knowledge of institutions, mores, customs, and local belief systems. From this perspective, the discovery of indigenous verbal arts offered valuable access to the mental world of the people in question. Certain genres such as proverbs, sayings, and fables could be used directly in sermons; the words of the Christian Scriptures could be adapted to the melodies of native songs. Knowing the tales with their relatively simple vocabulary facilitated learning the language concerned. Furthermore, people were often favorably impressed by the missionaries’ efforts in gathering texts, and this contributed in creating relationships of trust between the missionaries and their flocks.
