Central Africa is at the core of the African continent. The nations which comprise this region are inhabited by hundreds of different ethnic or tribal groups. While there are many differences among these groups of people, there are also many similarities. Oral tradition has played a very strong role in the passing on of the stories of these people, which we refer to as folktales. These stories, told to children, and shared in villages and homes, reveal a great deal about the thought and the culture of the people of this region. In many ways, they show the way people think and the values which they possess. The stories in this childrens book come from the people of the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. Most of them were told to me in Sango, which is the lingua franca of the Central African Republic. Variations of these stories are found throughout Central Africa, where they are recounted in hundreds of other native languages. By translating these folktales into French and English (both official languages of much of Africa), it is my hope to make them accessible to a larger population. Reading them, we learn that people from different cultures think differently, and in many ways possess values different than those to which many adhere. To discover what is different is not to determine what is right or what is wrong, but to learn to appreciate unique perspectives on life. If we approach what these stories have to tell us with an open mind and open heart, we will learn from them, just as children do.

A collection of twelve stories dealing with the folklore and fables of this African region.

From the rift valley come stories of gods, tricksters, cattle and ogres from the many peoples of East Africa. Traditional stories bring a deeper understanding of the movement of peoples across East Africa. Common roots and differences between ancient peoples create a lively portrait with their fragile, powerful gods. The modern nations of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and more inherit the folk and mythic tales of the rift valley region. Here you'll find stories of ogres and tricksters, riddles and poems, figures such as the first man (Gikuyu) and woman (Mumbi), and great heroes of history such as Liongo. This new collection is created for the modern reader. FLAME TREE 451: From myth to mystery, the supernatural to horror, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and mechanical men, blood-lusty vampires, dastardly villains, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic.

Central Africa is at the core of the African continent. The nations that comprise this region are inhabited by hundreds of different ethnic or tribal groups. While there are many differences among these groups of people, there are also many similarities. Oral tradition has played a very strong role in the passing on of the stories of these people, which we refer to as folktales. These stories, told to children and shared in villages and homes, reveal a great deal about the thought and the culture of the people of this region. In many ways, they show the way people think and the values they possess. The stories in this children s book come from the people of the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. Variations of these stories are found throughout Central Africa, where they are recounted in hundreds of other native languages. "

Presents twenty-one traditional tales from West Africa, including "The Greedy but Cunning Tortoise," "The Boy in the Drum," and "The Magic Cooking Pot."

Some of the most influential and interesting people in the world are fictional. Sherlock Holmes, Huck Finn, Pinocchio, Anna Karenina, Genji, and Superman, to name a few, may not have walked the Earth (or flown, in Superman's case), but they certainly stride through our lives. They influence us personally: as childhood friends, catalysts to our dreams, or even fantasy lovers. Peruvian author and presidential candidate Mario Vargas Llosa, for one, confessed to a lifelong passion for Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Characters can change the world. Witness the impact of Solzhenitsyn's Ivan Denisovich, in exposing the conditions of the Soviet Gulag, or Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom, in arousing anti-slavery feeling in America. Words such as quixotic, oedipal, and herculean show how fictional characters permeate our language. This list of the Fictional 100 ranks the most influential fictional persons in world literature and legend, from all time periods and from all over the world, ranging from Shakespeare's Hamlet [1] to Toni Morrison's Beloved [100]. By tracing characters' varied incarnations in literature, art, music, and film, we gain a sense of their shape-shifting potential in the culture at large. Although not of flesh and blood, fictional characters have a life and history of their own. Meet these diverse and fascinating people. From the brash Hercules to the troubled Holden Caulfield, from the menacing plots of Medea to the misguided schemes of Don Quixote, The Fictional 100 runs the gamut of heroes and villains, young and old, saints and sinners. Ponder them, fall in love with them, learn from their stories the varieties of human experience--let them live in you.

Fairy tales as reimagined by children from Central African Republic.

Teachers are continually looking for materials that will enhance their studies of cultures around the world. With this new book, author, Tony Fredericks and illustrator, Bongaman, present readers theatre scripts based on traditional African folklore. Plays are organized by area and identified by country. Included are tales from Algeria to Zambia and all areas in between. This title contains background information for teachers on each African country included as well as instruction and presentation suggestions. The rationale and role of readers theatre in literacy instruction is discussed and additional resources for extending studies of African folklore are included. Grades 4-8.

“A true classic of world literature . . . A masterpiece that has inspired generations of writers in Nigeria, across Africa, and around the world.” —Barack Obama “African literature is incomplete and unthinkable without the works of Chinua Achebe.” —Toni Morrison Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Things Fall Apart is the first of three novels in Chinua Achebe's critically acclaimed African Trilogy. It is a classic narrative about Africa's cataclysmic encounter with Europe as it establishes a colonial presence on the continent. Told through the fictional experiences of Okonkwo, a wealthy and fearless Igbo warrior of Umuofia in the late 1800s, Things Fall Apart explores one man's futile resistance to the devaluing of his Igbo traditions by British political andreligious forces and his despair as his community capitulates to the powerful new order. With more than 20 million copies sold and translated into fifty-seven languages, Things Fall Apart provides one of the most illuminating and permanent monuments to African experience. Achebe does not only capture life in a pre-colonial African village, he conveys the tragedy of the loss of that world while broadening our understanding of our contemporary realities.