A study of Afro-Uruguayan oral tradition

Abstract

Previous research has identified oral tradition as a component of Afro-Uruguayan identity as well as a strategy for the preservation and transmission of culture. This work will present the results of research about oral tradition, its actualization in the individual, in the family structure and in its socio-historical context. Through twenty open interviews with subjects belonging to different generations of families of Afro descent, we attempt to deepen our understanding of the means of identification of oral tradition and its transmission. Our goal was to examine how Afro descendants define oral tradition and its relevance, by means of an intergenerational approach and by noting which traditions they recall.