FolktalesAfrica.com

Browse Tag

African oral tradition

Illustration of greedy old couple turning into monkeys on a tree, from a Zambian folktale.

How the Monkeys Came to Be: A Zambian Folktale

by Ayomide Adekilekun

African Folktales·Southern African Folktales·Zambian Folktales

Long ago, in the heart of the African wilderness, there lay a quiet glade where a humble tribe had built their huts. The people lived in harmony with nature and with one another, sharing food, laughter, and the struggles of daily life. Among them lived a frail old man and his equally gaunt wife. They were always complaining of hunger

Young Kimbundu hunter finds a talking skull under a baobab tree, Angola folktale in parchment style.

African Folktales·Angolan Folktales·Southern African Folktales

Ngunza Kilundu and the Lord of the Dead: An Angolan Folktale That Teaches Lessons on Death, Vanity, and Legacy

Long ago, in the lands of the Kimbundu people of Angola, there lived two brothers, Ngunza Kilundu kia Ngunza and his younger sibling Maka. The bond between them was deep, like the roots of a great baobab tree. But fate intervened when Ngunza traveled to the bustling town of Loanda. There,

Ngana Samba carries her children across a river, escaping the Ma-kishi in a Kimbundu Angolan folktale.

Ngana Samba and the Ma-Kishi: A Kimbundu Folktale of Courage, Motherhood, and Escape.

long ago, during the dry season, the people of a village gathered

Nsenga tale: hare, goat, dog and python at the totem tree, Eastern Zambia.

The Hare Who Slew the Python: A Nsenga Folktale (Zambia)

In a village ringed by bush and shadow, a monstrous python had

Parchment style illustration of a mysterious girl emerging from a sacred termite mound before villagers in southern Angola.

The Girl Hidden Inside the Termite Mound

Angolan Folktales·Southern African Folktales

In the broad plains of southern Angola, where scattered acacia trees cast long shadows across the grasslands and towering termite mounds rose like ancient monuments from the earth, there

Parchment style illustration of a young Herero man standing peacefully among lions on the Angolan savannah.

The Boy Raised by Lions

Angolan Folktales·Southern African Folktales

Across the wide grasslands of southern Angola, where golden savannahs stretched toward distant mountains and ancient baobab trees stood like silent guardians, the Herero people lived by herding cattle

Parchment style illustration of a Mbundu fisherman meeting a glowing river spirit on a peaceful Angolan river.

The River Spirit’s Three Questions

Angolan Folktales·Southern African Folktales

In the heart of Mbundu country, where broad rivers nourished fertile lands and fishing canoes glided across calm waters each morning, there stood a peaceful village whose people depended

Parchment style illustration of a young Nyaneka Humbe boy meeting wise ancestral elders inside a sacred cave in Angola.

The Cave of the Sleeping Ancestors

Angolan Folktales·Southern African Folktales

Among the rolling hills of southern Angola, where rugged mountains overlooked open grasslands and ancient baobab trees watched over generations of families, there was a village of the Nyaneka

Parchment-style illustration of a lost Ikom boy walking with kind forest spirits in Southern Nigeria.

The Boy Who Was Raised by Spirits

Nigerian Folktales·West African Folktales

The people of Ikom believed that the forests surrounding their villages were living places, rich with towering trees, winding streams, and mysteries that ordinary eyes could not always understand.

Parchment-style illustration of Chief Indoma addressing Ikom elders about ending human sacrifices in Southern Nigeria.

Chief Indoma and the Human Sacrifices

Nigerian Folktales·West African Folktales

Long ago, in the forested hills of Ikom in Southern Nigeria, there lived a respected ruler known as Chief Indoma. His people admired him for his strength, wisdom, and

Parchment-style illustration of Inkang finding a miraculous child inside a giant mushroom in an Ikom folktale from Southern Nigeria.

Inkang and the Mushroom Child

Nigerian Folktales·West African Folktales

Long ago, in the lush forests and fertile lands of Ikom in Southern Nigeria, there lived a hardworking man named Inkang and his devoted wife, Igiri. They were respected

Young Lenje boy resting beneath the ancient Talking Baobab near Mumbwa as magical leaves whisper through its branches.

The Talking Baobab of Mumbwa

Southern African Folktales·Zambian Folktales

Across the plains of Central Zambia, towering baobab trees have stood for centuries, silently watching seasons come and go. Among the Lenje people, elders tell of one remarkable tree

Young Bisa hunter following mysterious glowing footprints through the forests of the Muchinga Hills.

The Invisible Hunters of the Muchinga Hills

Southern African Folktales·Zambian Folktales

The forests of the Muchinga Hills have long inspired stories among the Bisa people of northeastern Zambia. Elders say that the hills remember every footprint left upon their paths

Young Lunda girl surrounded by glowing fireflies in a moonlit forest as an elder shares an ancestral legend.

The Fireflies of the Ancestors

Southern African Folktales·Zambian Folktales

Among the Lunda people of northwestern Zambia, elders have long shared stories that remind children they are never truly alone. On warm evenings, when tiny fireflies dance through the

1 2 3 … 6 Next

Go toTop