The The art of narration: convergences between the Benjaminian storyteller, african oral tradition and rap

Abstract

This work analyzes the importance of narration in the transmission of knowledge and culture, comparing Walter Benjamin’s ideas about the crisis of narrative in modernity with the African oral tradition, represented by griots. Furthermore, the work underscores the need to address complex and challenging topics in education, such as the Carandiru Massacre, and critiques the tendency to canonize certain narratives in Brazilian historiography. In this context, the song “Diário de um detento” by the rap group Racionais MC’s is analyzed to draw a parallel between the griot, the Benjaminian narrator, and the figure of the rapper or MC (Master of Ceremonies), highlighting the importance of oral tradition in the transmission of history that is erased from textbooks. In summary, the work reveals how different cultures navigate the pressures – whether of modernity or postcoloniality – while keeping their narrative traditions alive and emphasizing the relevance of narration in the construction of identities and cultural preservation.