Les personnages animaliers dans les contes moundang du Tchad

Abstract

This work titled “Animals Characters in Moundang Tales from Chad” explores the representation of animal characters in Moundang tales from Chad and analyzes how their behavior reflects the values and cultural traits of that society, through the lens of ethno linguistics and functionalism. Through these theories, we examined a selection of traditional tales, highlighting the anthropomorphism of animals who, endowed with human characteristics, embody essential moral lessons. Our reflection revolved around the following issue: How do animal’s characters function in Moundang tales from Chad? From our analysis, it emerges that these tales are important for the transmission of the community values. It was subsequently demonstrated that the animals encountered in these tale are direct reflections of human compartments within Moundang culture. The lion, for example, which surpasses other animals with its strength, illustrates not only the idea of power but also that of knowledge within is community. This functional perspective emphasizes that each tale has a specific role in consolidating social norms and collective values. Animal characters are vectors of wisdom that allow us to question and value human behaviors within Moundang society.