“Ti Tiin Itiin”<b>: An Introduction to the Performance Esthetics of the Konkomba Folktale</b>

Abstract At the sound of the expression, “Ti tiin itiin” (translated as ‘Let us tell stories’), every Konkomba who is familiar with Konkomba storytelling knows that it is time for some traditional entertainment, education, and free psychotherapy, among other things, via oral storytelling. Although storytelling and its benefits have been widely explored, the Konkomba storytelling culture remains largely unexplored. This paper seeks to fill this gap by exploring the oral performance esthetics associated with the art of storytelling among the Konkomba people of Ghana. The paper discusses the key performance structures or elements of the Konkomba folktale, gestures to the culture-specificity of some of these structures, and argues that though oral and seemingly arbitrary, indigenous oral performances such as Konkomba storytelling are well-structured oral verbal arts. The paper further notes that community – and for that matter the audience at a storytelling session – plays an integral part in the composition and performance processes in traditional theaters such as Konkomba storytelling sessions.