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Oyebode Ayoola

Parchment-style illustration of Anansi tricking Ant into carrying a heavy box, Ashanti folktale from Ghana.

Why Ants Carry Bundles as Big as Themselves

by Oyebode Ayoola

African Folktales·Ghanaian Folktales·West African Folktales

Kweku Anansi, the trickster spider of Ashanti tales, was well known for his cunning ways. He and his son, Kweku Tsin, were both skilled farmers who usually enjoyed plentiful harvests. Their farms had always been fruitful, with yams, beans, and maize ripening under their care. But one year misfortune struck. They had sown their seeds as usual, waiting for the

Parchment-style illustration of Bat fleeing into night sky as animals watch angrily, Nigerian folktale explaining his flight.

African Folktales·Nigerian Folktales·West African Folktales

Why the Bat Flies by Night

Long ago, when animals still lived in harmony and often spoke together, there was a great friendship between the Bat and the Squirrel. They were inseparable companions, always seen together in the forest. The Bat, clever and quick-witted, admired the Squirrel’s playful energy, while the Squirrel trusted the Bat’s wisdom

Parchment-style African folktale illustration showing clever Jackal outwitting mighty Lion on a rocky cliff.

The Clever Little Jackal and the Lion

Long ago, when animals lived, spoke, and hunted much like people, there

Parchment-style illustration of sly Jackal tricking angry Lion near cave, African folktale about wit over strength.

The Lion and the Jackal

In the wild and open plains of South Africa, where the sun

Parchment-style illustration of elephant and tortoise at lagoon, Southern African Khoikhoi folktale scene.

Elephant and Tortoise

African Folktales·South African Folktales·Southern African Folktales

Long ago, in the wide plains of Southern Africa, two mighty forces quarreled, Elephant, the giant of the earth, and Rain, the life-giver from the skies. Their dispute shook

Parchment-style illustration of Baboon judging Fox and Lion with a cowhide, African folktale scene.

The Judgment of Baboon

African Folktales·South African Folktales·Southern African Folktales

In the days when animals still walked and talked with the wisdom of men, Baboon once found himself in possession of a cowhide. It was not just an ordinary

Wild stallion transforming into a zebra in the African veld, Ashanti folktale scene.

The Zebra Stallion

African Folktales·Ghanaian Folktales·West African Folktales

Long ago, in the days when animals were not yet as we know them now, there was a stallion unlike any other. He lived in the kraal with the

Parchment-style illustration of tortoises in rows trapping ostriches, Khoikhoi folktale from Southern Africa.

Tortoises Hunting Ostriches

African Folktales·South African Folktales·Southern African Folktales

In the vast, sunlit plains of Southern Africa, where the red earth met the golden horizon, there lived a great community of tortoises. Unlike the other animals of the

Parchment-style illustration showing key scenes: king, fisherman, mother, wise speaker, Egyptian folktales.

Five Egyptian Folktales of Wisdom and Fate

African Folktales·North African Folktales

1. The King and His Cousin-Wife In a grand palace along the Nile, there reigned a wise and just king. He married his cousin, a woman of extraordinary beauty

Parchment-style illustration of father and son carrying a donkey, Ashanti folktale, Ghana.

The Man, His Son, and the Donkey

African Folktales·Ghanaian Folktales·West African Folktales

Once, in a small village in Ghana, there lived a humble man with his young son and a faithful donkey. One bright morning, they set out for the market,

Parchment-style illustration of a poor man by a well, magical city below, Ashanti folktale, Ghana.

The Poor Man and His Magic Bean

African Folktales·Ghanaian Folktales·West African Folktales

Once upon a time, in a humble village of Ghana, there lived a poor man whose life was marked by hardship and simplicity. One quiet afternoon, he sat by

Ashanti man reading a telegram while messenger waits, village huts in background.

The Telegram

African Folktales·Ghanaian Folktales·West African Folktales

In a quiet village in the heart of Ashanti land, a man lived his life largely untouched by the everyday drama of neighbors and kin. One afternoon, as the

Parchment-style illustration of Ramadan resting in a desert tent, Algerian folktale, Sahara night scene.

The Man Called Ramadan

African Folktales·Algerian Folktales·North African Folktales·Uncategorized

In the vast, sun-scorched expanse of the Sahara, where golden dunes stretched endlessly to meet the horizon, there once traveled a man known simply as Ramadan. He was a

Parchment-style illustration showing Egyptian scholar, clever wife, prince, and sick woman scenes.

Four Egyptian Folktales of Wit, Fortune, and Fate

African Folktales·North African Folktales

1. The Wife, Her Husband, and the Two Geese In a quiet village along the Nile, a man purchased two plump geese and entrusted them to his wife. “Cook

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