The Contribution of Oral Literature in Communication of the Gospel to the Omotic People of Southern Ethiopia: A Case Study of the Wolaitta Pioneer Evangelists (1937-1941)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of oral literature as a vehicle of communicating the Gospel among the Omotic people of Southern Ethiopia, taking the experiences of the Wolaitta pioneers as a case study, between 1937 and 1941. The study used a histrio-ethnographic qualitative research approach. Data were collected from key informants and focus group discussants using an open ended in-depth interview and profound group discussions schedules. All data were tape recorded and noted. The key findings demonstrated how the deep roofed, commonly practiced com- municational culture of using oral literary forms, especially poems and songs and to a relatively lesser frequency, narratives and proverbs, in communication the Gospel led to the fast spread of Christianity. The evangelization took place during the interim period of five years, 1937-1941, when the Western missionaries were forced to leave the country by the Italian invaders and the evangelization task was taken over by the few self-assigned local evangelists,