Mama is proud to share this space where you can find African fables and folktales to share with your children or simply to enjoy yourself.

African folktales serve many roles. They are a way to transfer history and culture as well as being a wonderful method of teaching the values and morals of African peoples. Additionally, they are a way of spending time together and sharing the beliefs of a culture. You will find that although the names, situations and details of the stories change; their morals are often similar. Greed, dishonesty and spitefullness are punished; while generocity, respect and cleverness are rewarded.

It is also important to read these tales with the understanding that traditional African society treats the spiritual world as an integral part of the world in which we live. So it is "normal" to hear and see things in daily life which are a part of the world of the ancestors or the spiritual realm.

Here are a few fables and folktales from the African continent. The tales are as diverse and rich as the cultures which fill the African scene. Be sure to stop back as Mama will be adding more for you to enjoy. You will find the country of origin listed as well as the ethnic group, when known. Enjoy!

Angola:

Frog and the Marriage of Sun and Moon's Daughter

Eritrea:

The Clever Farmer

Even the Flies and the Spiders

Ghana:

(Akan) Where the Desert Comes From

Kenya

Abu Nuwasi Sells His House

Zimbabwe:

The Guinea Fowl Child