African Folktales

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African traditional tales

Parchment-style illustration of Spider carrying a bundle, watched by Wolf and Leopard, African folktale.

Why White Ants Always Harm Man’s Property

by Oyebode Ayoola

African Folktales·Ghanaian Folktales·West African Folktales

Long ago, during a time when the land suffered under a terrible famine, food became more precious than gold. A single grain of corn was valued beyond measure, and animals and people alike wandered in desperation for something to eat. Among them was Spider, the sly trickster known far and wide for his cunning ways. Hungry and weak, he scoured

Parchment-style illustration of Lamb bound as Tortoise prepares ritual sacrifice; Beninese folktale, Dahomey kingdom.

African Folktales·Beninese Folktales·Dahomean (Fon) Folktales·West African Folktales

Why One Does Not Displease the Diviner

Long ago, during the reign of a great king of Dahomey, when the land was dry and the skies withheld rain, there lived a boy named Lamb. He was entrusted with the care of Dada Segbo’s field, a vast stretch of farmland divided by a dusty road. The sun blazed

Crow and Dove before elders in Congolese folktale about greed, honesty, and justice.

The Crow and the Dove: A Congolese Folktale of Greed and Consequences

Long ago, deep within the lands of Congo where vast forests stretched

Four sisters hide in a tree while Ma-Kishi spirits chop, saved by a hawk in Kimbundu folktale.

The Girls and the Ma-Kishi: An Angolan Folktale of Wisdom, Vigilance, and Courage

Long ago, there were three young women who often visited the Ma-Kishi,

Wild Cat, Dog, and Rooster in a tense Malagasy village scene, teaching lessons on loyalty and consequences.

The Hedgehog and the Wild Cat: A Madagascan Folktale That Teaches Lessons on Deception and Consequences

African Folktales·East African Folktales·Madagascan Folktales

It is told among the Betsileo people of Madagascar that once, long ago, a hedgehog and a wild cat swore a blood pact, binding their lives together as brothers. The

Gazelle trapped by Bakongo nkondi fetish as Leopard watches in traditional DR Congo folktale scene.

The Gazelle Is at Last Punished : A Bakongo Folktale from DR Congo

African Folktales·Central African Folktales·Congolese (DRC) Folktales

Once upon a time, in the traditions of the Bakongo people of what is today the Democratic Republic of Congo, there lived a Gazelle and a Leopard who decided

Gazelle and Palm-Rat in Congolese folktale, palm tree scene with fire and smoke.

The Gazelle and the Palm-Rat: A Congolese Folktale of Broken Promises

African Folktales·Central African Folktales·Congolese (DRC) Folktales

In the heart of a great forest in Congo, where tall palm trees swayed gently under the golden sun, a hungry Gazelle wandered restlessly in search of food. His

Illustration of Eritrean folktale with mice holding council against cat, parchment style, Tigrean cultural storytelling scene.

The Council of the Mice: An Eritrean Folktale That Teaches Lessons on Courage and Caution

African Folktales·East African Folktales·Eritrean Folktales

Long ago, when shadows stretched long across the dusty earth and the moonlight silvered the quiet fields, the mice of a village lived in constant fear. Their old and

Tortoise and Leopard inside the mythical Giant Goat, Fang folktale from Equatorial Guinea, symbolizing greed and consequences.

The Giant Goat of Njambe: A Fang Folktale of Cunning and Greed

African Folktales·Central African Folktales·Equatorial Guinean Folktales

Long ago, in the time when animals built towns and shared the earth with gifts from the Creator, two unlikely companions, Tortoise and Leopard, lived together in peace. They

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