traditional marriage tales

Four Angolan sisters named Uoua, youngest holding preserved rats, in a Kimbundu folktale scene.

The Four Uouas: An Angolan Folktale on Wisdom, Marriage, and Fairness

African Folktales·Angolan Folktales·Southern African Folktales

Long ago, in the household of Na Kimanaueze kia Tumb’a Ndala, a respected man loved by many, four daughters were born to one mother. There were no sons in this family, only girls. Each daughter, when she came of age, gave herself the same name: Uoua. The eldest said, “I am Uoua,” the second echoed, “I am Uoua,” the third

Bokeli at the smithy surprises Etungi, proving he lives; Fang folktale scene from Equatorial Guinea with moral lesson.

African Folktales·Central African Folktales·Equatorial Guinean Folktales

A Snake’s Skin Looks Like a Snake: Fang Folktale of Bokeli and Jamba

Bokeli, son of Njambe-of-the-Sea-Coast, was compared to a snake. Just as a snake sheds its skin, leaving behind something that looks almost as frightening as the creature itself, so too did Bokeli carry a presence that unsettled those who crossed his path. His story, remembered among the Fang people, reveals

Parchment-style illustration of Makuchi facing supernatural head; West African folktale of pride and deception

Makuchi and the Head without the body

In the heart of a West African village, where the golden dust

The Four Uouas: An Angolan Folktale on Wisdom, Marriage, and Fairness

A Snake’s Skin Looks Like a Snake: Fang Folktale of Bokeli and Jamba

Makuchi and the Head without the body

Banner