Uganda Christian University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, has warned that Africa’s rich oral traditions risk losing their cultural depth and authenticity as they are increasingly transformed into digital formats without preserving the performance elements that give them meaning. Delivering his inaugural professorial lecture at Uganda Christian University, Prof. Mushengyezi argued that while digital technology offers new opportunities to preserve and disseminate indigenous knowledge, it also presents a challenge of safeguarding the cultural essence of African storytelling.
Prof. Mushengyezi’s lecture, titled A Historiography of Orature and Media Culture for Young People in Uganda, examined how African oral traditions have evolved over time and how the digital age is reshaping the way younger generations engage with culture and heritage. A distinguished scholar of African literature and orature, Mushengyezi observed that today’s storytellers, educators, filmmakers and digital creators are increasingly adapting folktales, legends, songs and proverbs into animations, cartoons, podcasts, videos, audiobooks and interactive applications.
He described this convergence of technology and oral culture as “technoture,” a concept he uses to explain the digital evolution of traditional orature. “The digital age is here to stay,” he said, adding that the central question is no longer whether African oral traditions should embrace technology, but how they should make that transition without losing their cultural identity.
Mushengyezi said digital platforms have created unprecedented opportunities to introduce African stories to younger generations, many of whom have grown up with limited exposure to traditional storytelling. Yet he cautioned that many defining features of orature cannot be fully replicated through text, audio or video recordings.
He explained that African oral storytelling is a performance tradition in which meaning is conveyed through voice modulation, rhythm, pauses, gestures, facial expressions, audience participation and the interaction between the storyteller and the community. “Some aspects of orature are transcribable, while others are simply untranslatable,” he said.
According to Mushengyezi, converting oral performances into digital formats often captures only part of the original experience, leaving behind subtle cultural meanings embedded in live performance. He stressed that orature has historically served purposes far beyond entertainment. Across generations, African communities have relied on oral traditions to preserve history, transmit indigenous knowledge, teach moral values, reinforce cultural identity and strengthen social cohesion.
He urged scholars, educators, publishers, policymakers and digital content creators to ensure that technology complements rather than replaces the cultural foundations of African storytelling. “The challenge is not whether African orature should enter the digital age,” he said.
“The challenge is ensuring that future generations inherit not only the stories themselves but also the cultural meanings, values and performance traditions that give those stories life.” His remarks come at a time when globalization, urbanization and digital media are rapidly changing how young Africans consume culture. As more traditional stories migrate to online platforms, he argued, preserving the integrity of oral performance should remain central to efforts to safeguard Africa’s cultural memory.
Commenting on the lecture, Rt. Rev. Prof. Alfred Olwa, Bishop of the Diocese of Lango, said it was “much more than an academic presentation,” describing it as “a compelling reminder that the stories a society tells shape the future it builds.” “When a people lose their stories, they gradually lose their identity. When young people lose their identity, they become vulnerable to every passing ideology, every fashionable narrative and every digital current,” he said.
Olwa added that the lecture challenged everyone to recognise that orature is “not merely the memory of yesterday” but “a living resource for tomorrow,” connecting inherited wisdom with emerging technologies, local voices with global conversations, and enduring values with contemporary realities. Mushengyezi has devoted much of his academic career to documenting, preserving, and interpreting indigenous storytelling traditions.
Before he was appointed Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University in 2020, he served as Dean of the School of Languages, Literature and Communication at Makerere University, where he built a distinguished record in African literature, children’s literature, media studies, cultural preservation and oral performance.
He has authored and edited numerous books on African literature, orature and media studies. He also co-edited Kavunuuzi y’Orunyankore/Rukiga omu Rungyereza (Runyankore/Rukiga-English Dictionary) alongside President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and other scholars, underscoring his long-standing commitment to preserving and promoting indigenous languages-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
