Folktale Fridays
10 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago -This podcast introduces children from all around the world to the African oral tradition of storytelling. The folktales have been especially hand-picked, edited and re-written to align with culturally-acceptable global values. The storytelling will keep little ones engaged, entertained, and will often include some aspects of African music and cultural traditions. Enjoy!
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Episodes
The Legend of the Six Unusual Friends
June 18, 2021 14:14 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBThe Legend of the Six Unusual Friends is a folktale originally from West Africa. It is a story about six animals that came together on the basis of bringing each one's best abilities and talents to work in partnership to achieve peace and harmony in their community. The story touches on the following UN sustainable development goals- SDG16, which calls governments to "Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, a...
The Legend of the First Female Hunter
June 11, 2021 15:53 - 9 minutes - 8.48 MBThe Legend of the First Female Hunter is a story with roots in Lesotho, possibly first told by the San (Bushmen) tribe of Southern Africa, known for their impeccable hunting and gathering skills and intricate indigenous knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Kalahari desert. It is a tale about the division of labour between men and women, and is tied to the UN SDG 5 that calls for world citizens to unite to "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls". The story inspires not jus...
The Legend of the Longest Friendship
June 04, 2021 12:49 - 8 minutes - 8.01 MBThe Legend of the First Wild Fire is an imaginative folktale from Nigeria, detailing the events that led to the Sun and the Moon relocating to the skies after having previously lived on Earth. It is a warning tale told mainly to teach children about the dangers of playing with fire. This version has been reimagined to incorporate the warning signs of climate change, and it is aligned with the UN SDG 13 that calls on all world citizens to "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its im...
The Legend of the First Wild Fire
May 28, 2021 18:24 - 10 minutes - 9.62 MBThe Legend of the First Wild Fire is an imaginative folktale from Nigeria, detailing the events that led to the Sun and the Moon relocating to the skies after having previously lived on Earth. It is a warning tale told mainly to teach children about the dangers of playing with fire. This version has been reimagined to incorporate the warning signs of climate change, and it is aligned with the UN SDG 13 that calls on all world citizens to "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its im...
The Legend of the First Rainbow
May 21, 2021 14:21 - 10 minutes - 9.26 MBThe Legend of the First Rainbow can be traced back to Botswana. It is an embedded narrative in which the folklore of the sighting of the first rainbow is nested in between a secondary narrative, told within a contemporary tale that is shared by a grandmother to her grandchildren. At the end of the story, the children are inspired to take an adventurous trip to the local market where they endeavor to conduct a scientific experiment using local produce in the colours of the rainbow. This story ...
The Legend of the Enchanted Forest
May 14, 2021 09:56 - 10 minutes - 9.55 MBThe Legend of the enchanted Forest is a folktale of the Maasai tribe in Kenya. The original version is known as The Lost Child, which is a story about a girl who gets lost inside the mysterious Loita Forest in the Great Rift Valley. It was used as a warning for children to not wander too far into the forest alone. This version reimagines a slightly different message, and challenges children to learn about the biodiversity of the natural landscape around them, and introduces such values as car...
The Legend of the Clever Rat
May 07, 2021 13:58 - 9 minutes - 8.94 MBThe Legend of the Clever Rat is a story that originated on one of the islands in Zanzibar, most likely emerging out of the trading experiences of different spice merchants. It is an extension of a Swahili parable, which, translated into English means, "A rat trap traps those who are inside, and those who are outside". It is a metaphor used to explain the problems that can occur when one group of people in any society are marginalized or denied equal access to resources that are vital to their...
The Legend of the Hungry Hyena
April 29, 2021 23:18 - 6 minutes - 6.08 MBThe Legend of the Hungry Hyena is a rare and original folktale of the Daasanach tribe of Northern Kenya, one of the last keepers of an ancient language that had never been translated into written form until 2019. The story has been in the care of the Daasanach people and has not been reinvented. This version adds an additional ending that challenges learners to consider the ways in which individual action affects individual and collective survival on our planet. It touches on the values of sh...
The Legend of the Little Sunbird
April 23, 2021 07:31 - 9 minutes - 8.28 MBThe Legend of the Little Sunbird is an original version recorded for the African Folktales Project- www.africanfolktalesproject.com. An older version of this story can be traced all over South America, in tribes that are of Afro descent, and in that story the main character is a hummingbird. However, hummingbirds are not found in Africa, but the closest species in relation is a sunbird, that functions in the same way as a hummingbird. These tiny birds are highly specialized in pollination and...
The Legend of the Dancing Baobab
April 16, 2021 12:36 - 10 minutes - 9.27 MBThe legend of the mighty Baobab tree can be traced throughout Africa. Several versions of the folktale exist, and this version is written and edited exclusively for the African Folktales Project- www.africanfolktalesproject.com. The story introduces children to nature sounds and a variety of African animals that roam free in the savanna. The moral of the story is tied to SDG12 which aims to "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns". Children will be left to contemplate what wou...