Timeless African folktales retold for a new generation
The River Maiden
In the heart of Yorubaland, where the Oṣun River winds like a silver snake through forests and farms, stood the village of Olódò. The people lived by the river’s gifts. It watered their yam fields, filled their pots with tilapia, and carried canoes laden with palm oil to far-off markets.
The Cannibal Woman
Long ago, in a Somali village, there lived a terrifying woman who
The Man Who Never Lied
Once upon a time in the lands of Kenya, there lived a
Why the Hyena Howls at Night
Long ago, when animals still spoke to one another and lived close to humans, there was a hyena whose greed knew no limits. Unlike other creatures who were content
The First Drum of the Bari
Long ago, when the Bari people of South Sudan first settled along the great Nile, life was full of both blessings and challenges. The clans farmed the fertile soil,
The Sky Cattle of Nhialic
In the beginning, when the earth was still young and the ways of the people were not yet settled, Nhialic, the great god of the sky, kept a herd
The Sacred Twins of the Nuer
Among the Nuer people of South Sudan twins have always been regarded as sacred. Their birth was seen as a sign that the divine had touched the family and
The Sacred Authority of the Leopard-Skin Priest in Nuer Mythology
Among the Nuer people of South Sudan, conflict between clans was not uncommon. Disputes over cattle, land, or honor often turned into blood feuds that threatened the fabric of
Nyikang, the Spirit King of the Shilluk
Long ago when the Shilluk people lived close to the banks of the great Nile they spoke often of Nyikang, the culture hero who was more than a man.
The Rope Between Heaven and Earth
In the earliest days of the world, when the earth was fresh and the sky hung close above, there was no great distance between humans and Nhialic, the supreme
The Lion’s Whiskers
In the highlands of ancient Ethiopia, where the coffee plants first learned to bloom and the morning mist clings to mountain peaks like ancestral spirits, there lived a woman
Gendefli: A Tigrean Folktale That Teaches Lessons on Respect and Legacy
Bold and resolute, Gendefli quarrelled bitterly with his family, unable to endure their disputes and challenges. With a heavy heart, he gathered all his possessions, took his devoted wife,
Kamel Wad Gabay and Gahad Wad Caggaba: A Tigrean Folktale That Teaches Lessons on Courage and Reputation
In the rugged highlands of Mansac Bet-Abrehe, where the air was thin and the mountains stretched like ancient sentinels, two renowned warriors, Kamel wad Gabay and Gahad wad Caggaba,
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