Women in Oromo Folktales and Proverbs

The Portrayal of Women in Folktales and Popular Sayings of the Oromo of East Wollega

flap text of the book

The book, Women in Oromo Folktales and Proverbs, uncovers the images of women in folktales and popular sayings of the Oromo of East Wollega, Western Oromia, Ethiopia. The author made an attempt to review and discuss folktales (their concepts, categories, characteristics...) and popular sayings thoroughly. He collected a number of folktales and proverbs from the study area and analyzed them critically on how women have been portrayed in the genres. As it is known folktales and popular sayings belong to the verbal aspects of folklore and are believed to reflect a given society's mode of thinking, tradition, attitudes, ways of life and the likes. The book discloses that Oromo women and the feminine attributes have been portrayed negatively in most of the tales and sayings widely used or told in Western Oromia. Most of the folktales and popular sayings in which men and women are characterized seem to have been used for maintaining and validating patriarchy. Oromo women's image, role and status in the society seem to have been diminished and distorted to such a very great extent.

VDM Verlag Dr. Müller e.K.
ISBN 978-3-639-26001-4, paperback, 128 Pages