Indigenous and popular narratives : the educational use of myths in a comparative perspective : research in higher education

This article is based on a research conducted on children's narratives on the tokoloshi (in South Africa), the troll and nisse (in Norway). The article argues that stories about mythical creatures are sources of indigenous cultures, passed on from one generation to another, and should be used for educational purposes. Indigenous narratives are knowledge claims rooted in people's lifeworld, enabling human beings to construct meaning and learn. Higher education and teacher training has a particular obligation, under the vision of curriculum 2005, to provide a platform for African knowledge, identity and cultural creativity. The article argues that popular beliefs should be introduced in higher education in order to be scrutinised, better understood and actively used in teacher training.