Stories and Myths from Africa Illustration

Stories and Myths from Africa

In ancient Africa, after a hard day of work, the villagers relaxed over a warm dinner in their homes, quite often cooked in a pot. After dinner, villagers might hear the sound of a drum or a rattle announcing a story was soon to be told. The villagers hurried to gather around a central fire. They settled down to listen to the village storyteller.

The story might be about that famous magical spider, Anansi. Or perhaps the story was about a great battle or the actions of a god or goddess or other magical being. Or the story might be about the courage of an ordinary person doing something quite extraordinary to achieve a goal.

 If it was a good story, the story would travel from village to village until many people knew the best stories of the storytellers, the griots of ancient Africa.

For Kids

Who were the Griots?

Why Anansi Has Eight Thin Legs (ancient story retold by Lin Donn)

The Lion's Whisker (ancient story retold by Lin Donn)

Why Rabbit Has Crooked Back Legs (ancient story retold by Lin Donn)

African Fables, Folktales, and Stories

African Proverbs

Games about Africa

For Teachers

African Story and Fable Lessons