The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that oral literature, which is an aspect of the oral tradition, has functioned historically as a vital medium of moral and civic education in non-literate societies the world over. Through the ages, oral literature has performed this function by presenting its various genres as forms of entertainment that are designed to inculcate in listeners the social mores and world view of their communities. It follows, therefore, that modern African nations can adapt their oral traditions to current realities and utilise them as effective instruments of civic education, especially these days when the entire world has been transformed into a global village. (Contains 11 footnotes.)