The Relevance of Tselane le Dimo Folktale in the Life of the Current Generation

Before the origin of writing, oral literature was used by many African families to pass down values and impart knowledge and good morals from one generation to the other and to pass knowledge from one generation to the other. However, modern families hardly see value in narrating these folktales to their children as they claim that they have no time to narrate stories. This paper aimed to demonstrate the relevance and significance of Tselane le Dimo folktale in the current space and time. The study was guided by a functionalism theory which postulates that society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each aspect of it works for the stability of the whole. The study is descriptive, and a qualitative approach was employed. Content analysis methods and secondary sources in the form of books and articles were used as data collection methods. The findings of this paper indicated that narrating folktales is still necessary and Tselane le Dimo folktale is still relevant in the current space and time, to the younger generation. This paper concluded that modern African families should get back to their roots and narrate stories to their children to impart knowledge, values, and morals to them.


INTRODUCTION
Folktales are part of folk literature, which is more widely referred to as folklore.Folktales are customary narratives that are orally transmitted from one generation to the next long before writing systems were developed hence, they are termed 'oral' literature.These stories were narrated at night by grannies.According to Phindane, grandparents are regarded as the master storytellers since they are senior citizens. 1yaugwa affirms that folktales are a kind of entertainment that children like hearing after dinner to help them get ready for bed. 2 They act as a wellspring of imaginative ideas that give rise to a number of contemporary literary masterpieces. 3He further argues that they are essential to the oral culture of Africa.Above all, they typically explain and connect to the different traditional and cultural facets of the society from which they originate.
Children need to be exposed to folktale oral genre to create a positive impact on them.However, most modern families seem to consider them as part-time art. 4 This explains why kids would much rather themselves in a situation whereby they have to make sacrifices and compromise after their children have disappointed them.For example, they must look after their grandchildren, take their children to therapies and so on since they refuse to listen to them.At the same time, Dimo used the Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic, and Timeline (SMART) strategy to achieve his goal of outsmarting Mmatselane.Looking at the two, approaches, Dimo has capitalised on the weakness of Mmatselane which was the code (song) they were using to catch Tselane.This has forced Dimo to come up with ways to change his voice to be more like that of one of Tselane's mothers.Dimo succeeded in infiltrating the setup and eventually caught Tselane.Dimo's ability to manoeuvre around all the considerations put in place to embrace the child's wishes and protection brings into question the capacity of families to quickly detect Dimo-like tendencies of manoeuvring and obliterating sacred codes built for spaces inhabited by children.This posits that the current generation is being caught up by many things outside such as drug abuse, dating blessers, early pregnancy, alcohol abuse, and dropping out of school because of the weakness they have, and parents have to seek ways of overcoming this challenges as this will temper with their future, as a result, the country will be faced with a lot of children to support.Mensele and Khanyetsi studied Leobu through a contextual approach. 13They have found that Basotho folktales can still give people insight into the realities that many individuals and societies face in the modern world.As in the case of Tselane le Dimo, the youth especially the girls are faced with kidnapping, dating blessers, and gender-based violence due to ill-discipline.
The experts' research holds significant value in this study as it provides insights into the significance of folktales.They are different from the current study, though, in that they did not analyse the relevancy of the Tselane le Dimo folktale in the current generation.

Theory of Interpretation and Analysis
The article employs functionalism theory to analyse the tshomo of Tselane le Dimo.The basic elements of this theory order, stability, and productivity will guide my analysis.This theory was deemed appropriate for the study since it emphasises the roles that social structures including institutions, hierarchies, and norms play in society Diago. 14It first appeared in the early 20th century and is linked to writers who shaped American social theory in the 1950s and 60s, including Robert Merton, Talcott Parsons, Herbert Spencer, and Émile Durkheim. 15It asserts that each component of society functions to maintain the stability of the whole and that society is not just the sum of its parts.
Crossman featured a striking colour scheme that recognises the diversity of social interactions. 16iversity is now essential and serves as the primary catalyst for the development of social structures.Each fulfils their role and helps to make a peaceful society a reality. 17This statement is supported by Harper who argues that, A society's ability to function depends on the work done by comparable "organ-type" institutions which Durkheim refers to as norms, beliefs, and morals of the society. 18Harper interprets society in terms of the roles played by the constituent parts, particularly by norms, traditions, practices, and institutions. 19According to Ostro, this is an analogy made popular by Herbert Spencer that depicts some facets of our society as "organs" that contribute to the overall "body" of natural causes. 20Hence, according to functionalists, society should be viewed as a system of interconnected pieces.They contend that all social systems have certain needs or functional conditions, that must be satisfied. 21Durkheim recognised the value of social order and emphasized the significance of equilibrium, harmony, and consensus Wandi and Hefni. 22 He argues further that for community-oriented activities to emerge as a consensus, harmony, and equality, they must create cultural values and homogeneity that support the social community order.Furthermore, according to Durkheim, the younger generation requires educational support in order to get ready to enter a society with a set of values.Because young people are not prepared to enter the public sphere, preparation is required.

METHODOLOGY
A Content Analysis (CA) was used in this paper to analyse the functions performed by social structures in the selected folktale of Tselane le Dimo.A study process called content analysis is used to interpret messages found in texts, pictures, symbols, or audio files. 23To distinguish between other methodologies used to analyse text …Krippendorff defines CA as a research method for drawing reliable conclusions about the circumstances in which texts (or other significant content) are used whilst Berelson argues that CA is a method for quantitatively, methodically, and objectively describing the apparent substance of communications. 24ts main focus is on the prevalence of ideas in texts rather than on their construction.In concurring with this Neuendorf argues that CA focuses on meaning and context. 25It focuses more on the meaning that texts have overall and on semantic relationships rather than just the words themselves. 26It uses some guidelines for inference and strict procedural rules to move from unstructured text to answers to their research questions. 27The tshomo of Tselane le Dimo was taken from the book of Litsomo buka ya Pele written by Jacottet. 28To accomplish its objective, the study examines three social systems in this folktale in connection to the functions they perform in society.The analysis of Tselane le Dimo through social structures is significant since it will help the researcher ascertain the functions performed by each social structure in bringing order, stability, and productivity within the community.

An Examination of Tselane le Dimo's Story
In this tshomo, Tselane and her mother were living amid the forest.After a long period of staying there, her mother suggests that they should leave that place and go to another place since this one was occupied by a lot of cannibals.Tselane refuses to leave, and her mother has to leave her there alone.However, they have agreed that she will visit her daily.Since the forest was treacherous, she warns Tselane not to open the door for anyone but herself.To secure her safety, they devise a song which will serve as a code that she will use for Tselane to know when it's her and open the door, otherwise, she will open it for dangerous enemies such as Dimo.The song goes like this: Tselane, nongoan;'a ke; Tselane, nogoan'a ke, Nka,nka bohobe u je, Tselane, nogoan'a ke, (''Tselane my child; Tselane my child'') (''Take,take bread, and eat; Tselane my child'') Tselane would respond in saying: Ke a utloa 'me;, Ke utloa, 'me, 'Me o bua sa nonyana thaha Obua sa tsoere e lutse lehlakeng. 29''I hear you, mother, I hear you, mother'') (''Mother talks like the tsoere perched in the reeds'') On hearing the song, Tselane would open the door and her mother would enter, and they would sit together and eat in a safely locked house.At dusk, Mmatselane would leave and return on the next day.All this time, Dimo was sitting and watching every action.One day, he decided that it was time for him to make his move and capture Tselane.Just before Tselane's mother arrived, Dimo tried deception by going to the door and singing the song Tselane, nongoan;'a ke; Tselane, nogoan'a ke, Nka,nka bohobe u je, Tselane, nogoan'a ke, (''Tselane my child; Tselane my child'') (''Take,take bread, and eat; Tselane my child'') Then Tselane responded by saying Tloha mona wena limo ka lentswe le makgerenhlwa ("Go away Dimo with your hoarse voice'') Then Dimo went back disappointed.Tselane could not mistake Dimos' voice for her mother's.However, Dimo did not throw in the towel.He kept on trying to trick several times but in vain.As he was about to give up, he pondered over a possible strategy that he thought might work for him in catching Tselane.He went to consult a traditional doctor, who advised him to put an iron rod on fire, and when it was red with heat, shove it down his throat to cleansed the hoarseness.After doing that, Dimo went back to Tselane's house to deceive her into letting him in.This time his trick worked in his favour and managed to get Tselane.He put her in his bag and strutted away in victory.On his way home he kept singing. 30hetsi ea limo, kholoma, Kholoma re utloe!("Speak, limo's bag, speak so that we can hear!'') Tselane would respond Ke ea kholoma, ke kholome ke r'eng oee, limo!Khom tseso li ka linaledi le joang ba tsane oee, limo! ("I speak, speak and say what, limo!") ("The cattle at my home are as many as stars and tsane grass!") The song and response were Dimo's strategy of ascertaining that Tselane was still in the bag.Along the way, Dimo got tired and took a detour to a tavern to quench his thirst.He put the back outside the house and joined a group of fellow drinkers.Whilst he was drinking, some children who were playing outside, saw a finger on the bag.Their curiosity led them to come closer to the bag and one realised that the finger looked like the one of Tselane.He called the elders, and they opened the bag and found that indeed it was Tselane.They took her out and put in the bag a swarm of bees and many other kinds of ants and closed the bag again.When Dimo was done drinking, he took his bag, threw it over his shoulders, and went home.On his arrival, he left the back outside and got into the house.He closed every opening that could be found and ordered the child to fetch the bag.All the children and his spouse reported that the bag was stinging.He got angry and chased them away.He collected the bag himself and bolted the door so that he could enjoy his food alone and in peace.When he opened the bag, the bees flew out and stung him.He screamed with pain, but his family was not able to help him because he had bolted the door inside.He eventually managed to escape.He ran to the river and took a dive, to get rid of the bees.He drowned and, ke tshomo ka matheto.(''Thus end of the story'').The next section will continue to analyse the narrative in terms of the functionalist perspective.

Functionalist Perspective
The functionalist perspective is more interested in how social order is possible, and how society remains relatively stable to yield productivity.In this tshomo, there are two opposing functional parties.One being that of Tselane's side and the other one of Dimo's side.The three components of functionalism are at play for both parties.The components are at play on the part of Tselane and her mother and on the part of Dimo and his family: 1) Order-Tselane's mother came up with the code which was the song she was singing as she visited Tselane, whilst on the other hand Dimo send children and wife to collect the bag 2) Stability-Tselane was rescued by her relatives after her cousins noticed her finger in Dimo's bag.The collection of bees, snakes, spiders, etc was put in Dimo's bag.Productivity-After being rescued, Tselane was taken back to her mother and her mother was happy to see her child coming back alive.Dimo was stung by the bees and cried in pain.After accomplishing his mission of capturing Tselane, he orders his children to bring the bag that he had left outside (order).Dimo does not want to listen to everyone.He then closes every hole in his house, collects the bag and locks the door tightly (stability) since he wanted to eat his food (Tselane) in peace.He then opened the bag.The swamps of bees, snakes, and spiders came out and stung and bit him.He cried in pain until he managed the escape through the keyhole.He ran into the river and took a dive to get rid of the bees, and he drowned.(Productivity).

PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS
From this folktale, it was discovered that all the functions of functionalism are addressed, order, stability, and productivity.Usually, order comes to maintain stability in the form of punishment which results in productivity.Instability is usually caused by misbehaviour and greediness.They are the consequences of not listening to advice given to you.For instance, in the tshomo of Tselane le Dimo, Tselane was warned about the cannibals in that area which is why they should leave the place.On the other hand, Dimo was advised by members of the family that the bag was stinging but he couldn't listen.Their stubbornness of not listening to others led them to serious consequences which included being kidnapped and being stung by the bees.
The analysis of Tselane le Dimo reflects the maintenance of order, Tselane was warned by her mother that they are living in the vicinity of the cannibals, and they should vacate that place, but her stubbornness and pride did not let her go.Her mother had to devise a song to serve as a code to maintain order within her family.On the other hand, being rescued from her death taught her a lesson that in life "you are not all alone, and you cannot survive in this life if you not listening to the elderly and other people around you."The act of not listening caused the relatives of Tselane to rescue her because losing her was going to cause pain and imbalance in the family.The lesson here is that not listening to the elderly or one's parents can lead to trouble.
On the other hand, the trickery of Dimo is as emblematic of an adversary that threatens the lives and livelihoods of the society.Dimo has done everything in his power to get Tselane which will cause instability in a family and society at large.This is to indicate that the cannibals will do everything in their power to ruin the future of this generation.Tselane is a very young lady with visions and dreams to accomplish.But the tricks and greediness of Dimo would not allow her to reach them.He did everything in his power to catch Tselane.His motives were loud and clear; hence, he did everything in his power to manipulate his voice.On the other hand, Dimo was also stubborn and could not listen to anyone.His behaviour of kidnapping people was not tolerated in the community which is why he was punished.The relatives of Tselane maintained order and stability required by this community by rescuing Tselane and putting bees, snakes, and ants in the bag of Dimo.He created a trap for himself.He did not want to listen to his family members, and he chased them away so that he could enjoy his food alone, not knowing that he would suffer the consequences.He was stung by the bees, and he could not easily escape from the trap he created himself.
Dimo in today's life is associated with blessers who are using money, cars, and entertainment to attract the youth, especially females.This act causes an imbalance in society.As a result, society could not produce the kind of citizens it wants.Rescuing Tselane and punishing Dimo would lead to the kind of citizens that society wants to have.Society stands against evil and inappropriate behaviour such as that of the current Dimos whose plans are to demolish the future of the youth.On the other hand, Dimo can also be associated with outsiders who invade the country and feed the youth with drugs, and alcohol, and engage in human trafficking.This negative energy destroys the future of the society and the country at large.

Tselane le Dimo Folktale in the Education of the Youth
Children are taught via the storytelling of the folktales to act in a way that is expected of them by society.They have been mediums of communicating social ideas, values, morals, and philosophy. 31Tselane was obstinate and her obstinance attracted Dimo and caused him to come up with plans to catch and eat her.To curb this, her mother had to maintain order by devising the code that she would use to protect her against Dimo as seen in this paragraph.

Tselane refuses to leave, and her mother has to leave her there alone. To secure her safety, they devise a song which will serve as a code that she will use for Tselane to know when it's her and open the door, otherwise, she will open it for dangerous enemies such as Dimo. The song goes like this: Tselane ngwanake Tselane ngwanake Nka nka bohobe o je Nka nka bohobe o je
Tselane my child Tselane my child Take some food and eat Take some food and eat This call-and-response song was derived after her mother had made a compromise, and this seemed to be the only way to keep her safe and reach out to her on her arrival.Apart from that Tselane was instructed to keep the door closed and locked and never open for anyone except her mother.This is relevant to the generation of today who demonstrate deviant behaviour such as drug abuse, alcohol, gangsterism, partying and dating blessers.This has caused a change in societal components, as a result, the society is forced to adjust to achieve stability by coming up with mechanisms to contest this.Likewise, the youth do not listen to or obey every instruction given to them by their parents and choose to go their own way.When faced with challenges and danger that's when they shout for help, meanwhilst they turned to be blind by the time they were advised and rebuked.
Readers also realise that honesty and loyalty were maintained by both Tselane and her mother.Her mother kept her promise of coming daily to visit her and giving her food.This is seen through this code.
Tselane, ngwanake; Tselane ngwanake Tlo tlo nka bohobe o je, tlo tlo nka bohobe o je (''Tselane my child; Tselane my child'') (''Come, take a bread, and eat; come, take a bread, and eat'') Whenever she hears this code, she knows that her mother is around, and she will open the door.They will sit together and eat.This on its own shows a good relationship between the child and parents.This kind of relationship brings up interesting dimensions in terms of how children should interact with their families.
On the other hand, Tselane maintained honesty by not opening the door to strangers such as Dimo who has used his plans to catch her as seen in this phrase.
Tloha mona wena Dimo ka lentswe le makgerenhlwa ("Go away Dimo with your hoarse voice'') This is an indication that at some point children are still able to identify between good and bad, and all they need is guidance from their parents.The bad practice is when they think of the rights they have and move away from what they are taught at home.In addition to providing amusement, folktales serve as a medium for spreading knowledge and information.
According to Pommaret, the subliminal message that any media conveys is consequently a reflection of the culture in which the media themselves are generated. 32The Media transmit values that are frequently culturally or religiously oriented.
This statement attests that folktales are media with a mission in our society.They play a significant role in shaping the society.This is justified by the fact that they imbibe ideas of equality, freedom, justice, and harmony.From this statement, it can be deduced that the freedom of movement of Tselane was restricted and taken away from her due to her stubbornness.The presence of Dimo could not allow her to move freely as she wanted, and she was forced to stay locked in a house as seen in this phrase.
Since the forest was treacherous, she warns Tselane not to open the door for anyone but herself.
To secure her safety, they devise a song which will serve as a code that she will use for Tselane to know when it's her and open the door, otherwise, she will open it for dangerous enemies such as Dimo.
This was done to abide by the rules, standards, and laws they had set for themselves as these new orders would bring stability in the society.If this code is not followed, it will cause instability in their relationship.This will also bring discomfort to the family and pressure on her mother to find her.In turn, the whole society will be affected by the loss of the family, which causes instability within the community as they had expectations.
Folktales aim to instil certain cultural values in their audience.They are told to close the knowledge gap in the younger generation.As this statement indicates, the social principles conveyed in the folktale aim to amuse the youth and instil in them some behavioural changes that will make society happier and more affluent.
On hearing the song, Tselane would open the door and her mother would enter, and they would sit together and eat in a safely locked house.
This implies that, if the young generation could listen when they are being rebuked by their parents and change their ways of living, this would yield to a happier family which will in turn cause the whole society to be happy since their children will follow the good direction.Every time they meet, there will be joy as they sit together and eat.It is a precious thing when parents and children spend time together and live happily as a family.This is a sign of a healthy relationship that every parent is looking forward to having with their children.

Moral Lessons from Tselane le Dimo Folktale
The morals in the folktale point to the attitudes and effects of behaviour.They demonstrate that bad behaviour is punished, and good behaviour is positively rewarded. 33We have seen from Tselane le Dimo folktale that Dimo was punished for his bad behaviour as seen in this paragraph.
Their curiosity led them to come closer to the bag and one realised that the finger looked like the one of Tselane.He called the elders, and they opened the bag and found that indeed it was Tselane.They took her out and put in a swarm of bees and many other kinds of ants and closed the bag again.When he opened the bag, the bees flew out and stung him.He screamed with pain, but his family was not able to help him because he had bolted the door inside.This is an indication of the society which knows each other well.The principle of ubuntu and harmony that this society aimed to achieve is portrayed.Everyone who seems to bring instability within the society is being punished like Dimo was.Agreeing with this, Paul says tales are told to demonstrate that whilst evil does not and cannot go unpunished, virtue must be rewarded. 34hen he opened the bag, the bees flew out and stung him.He screamed with pain, but his family was not able to help him because he had bolted the door inside.
Dimo got his punishment for stealing and not listening to his family members when they told him that something was going on in the bag.His obstinance led him to pain, which relates to the consequences that the blessers, gangster leaders, drug dealers, and tavern owners who sell alcohol to youth must face.There should be policies, laws and regulations implemented by the government to fight and punish the criminal offenders for their bad practices in society.Tales impart to the audience certain moral lessons on why it is wrong to be avaricious, slothful, evil, or to plot crimes against one's neighbours.These morals are emphasised by the communicator after narrating a story.
This accounts for why Tselane was discouraged from disobeying her parents and Dimo was punished for theft and unfaithfulness.
Above all, children are urged to demonstrate good attitudes such as respect, love, honesty and the like.In this folktale, Tselane was observed respecting her mother and the children of Dimo also respected their father and they were honest to him.The major aim here is to foster a healthy upbringing, appropriate child behaviour, and a limit on indulgence in societal ills.The lesson from this folktale is that respect and honesty as children are key as they contribute to good behaviour that is expected from a child by the family and society.Africans believe that the child belongs to the society hence the saying that "it takes the society to raise the child."Therefore, if such behaviours are demonstrated in the tale, they should be rewarded.

Social Structure in Tselane le Dimo Folktale
According to Sharma, societal structure is hinted at in folktales.In most cases, the poor and the rich are the characters in the folktale. 35Apart from this social structure, there is survival as a part of the social structure.The folktale of Tselane le Dimo attests that eating other people happened to be one of the activities on which the survival of the giant was largely dependent as seen in the below excerpt.
He collected the bag himself and bolted the door so that he could enjoy his food alone and in peace.
Today, there are other groups of outsiders who have invaded South Africa and are trying hard to destroy the future of South African youth through selling drugs and alcohol and exposing them to prostitution.Due to the socio-economic status of their families and the high unemployment rate, young people have found themselves trapped in these societal vices.At the same time, the South African police and the Office of Justice cannot protect them because they are being bribed to protect the law offenders.
Achufusi further argues that morality lessons and social life lessons are imparted through moral stories. 36Some of them propagate the idea that in African communities, being greedy, obstinate, or lazy is deplorable.Therefore, the stubbornness of Tselane led her into the hands of Dimo who was also faced with bees, snakes, and ants' bites due to his stubbornness.
Perspective a) Mmatselane's goal is to protect Tselane from cannibals.b) Mmatselane and Tselane devise a code to signal her arrival.c) She executed the code several times and it worked.Dimo's Functional Perspective a) Dimo's goal was to capture Tselane.b) Dimo devised a plan to catch her.c) He executed his plan and failed.d) He came up with another plan.e) He executed the plan for the second time and succeeded in breaking the code.