A Strategic Analysis of the Folktale of Tselane Le Dimo

Authors

  • Nhlanhla Maake School of Education University of the Witwatersrand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/1016-8427/2232

Abstract

In conflict and warfare, strategy, more than tactic is a primary vehicle and instrument for competitive advantage or victory. In the tshomo (folk story) of Tselane Le Dimo, the protagonist or heroine is engaged in a conflict of advantage with the antagonist or villain. Generally, folk narratives are regarded as didactic genres aimed at teaching young people certain morals or ways of conduct or warn against certain taboos. In this study, I shift this received reading to argue that more than didacticism, there is a higher level of discourse in folk narratives, which includes strategy as a primary instrument over tactic, and that the folk narrative of “Tselane†is an ideal exemplar for this reading of complex strategic planning.

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Published

2017-11-30

How to Cite

Maake, Nhlanhla. 2017. “A Strategic Analysis of the Folktale of Tselane Le Dimo”. Southern African Journal for Folklore Studies 27 (1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.25159/1016-8427/2232.

Issue

Section

Articles
Received 2017-03-01
Accepted 2017-07-25
Published 2017-11-30