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4.0 out of 5 stars
`At the beginning of human time, which is longer than long, long ago .., January 14, 2010
This review is from: An African Tale (Paperback)
.. but not as long as time before humans, there was a large freshwater lake in the middle of the southern continent now known as Africa.'
Thus begins a fascinating work of children's fiction - a fairytale - set in Africa, land of extremes: drought; flood; beauty; devastation; vibrant life and miserable death. In the beginning, a god named Molemo controlled the weather and water. For many years, humans lived in balance with water and the world around them but `as always happens with humans, the easier things became the more restless, discontented, and selfish they became.' Their settlements expanded which led to overuse of resources and led to depletion and pollution. Molemo warned them, and they heeded his warning - for a while.
Eventually, Molemo loses patience and the village and lake are destroyed. The few survivors rely on waterfinders. One such waterfinder is Ledimo. Ledimo finds a magic stone that enables its bearer to control water and is given a choice by Molemo: `eternal life or death'. Ledimo's choice of immortality, life and subsequent events sets the scene for the future in which two of his descendants will be able to harness the power of the stone, but only if they are in agreement.
Following the journey through the generations is fascinating. I especially enjoyed the talking gecko and the friendly snake that assisted Lesedi and his grandfather Lorato to recover the stone. The story ends before we see Lesedi and his cousin Lotobo working together, and I hope this means that there will be another book to complete the tale.
This story is in two parts: Part I provides the history of the past while Part II is Lesedi's story in the present. Part II is more complex because of the number of people involved and their relationships to each other sometimes seemed confusing, at last for me. Overall, I enjoyed this story.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Reading At The Beach: Reviews, January 27, 2010
This review is from: An African Tale (Paperback)
This is a story of African folklore and starts in the past with a very powerful god named Molemo. Molemo controlled the rain, drought, wind, storms etc. When he got angry with the way people were wasting water etc., he would cause a storm to warn the people to change their ways, and for a while they respected the land, but soon would go back to their wasteful ways. Finally Molemo had enough. He sent a furious tornado to destroy the people and villages. When he discovered his tremendous power was fading, he put everything he had left into a stone that would be passed on to whoever finds it.
Many years later when the land is dry and the people are dependant on water finders, a man named Moaki uses his son Ledimo's water finding powers and tells everyone he is the one with the gift. Finally Ledimo has enough and kills his father. He then finds the stone Molemo hid. Molemo comes to him as a voice and tells him he will now be a semi-god and have powers beyond his imagination. When he realizes just how much more power he has, he is thrilled. Ledimo will live for a very long time and when he dies the stone is passed to some of his descendants. But no one, including Ledimo, heeds the voice of Molemo, so there are many disasters.
This is the first African lore I've read, and I enjoyed the book, but the use of so many names that sounded alike kept throwing me off and I had to back track to see who was who on several occasions. In the second part of the book there are a few places that you have to pay very close attention or you will get lost. All in all I enjoyed the book and think it would be a good book for children and even adults.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun read in a folktale style, January 20, 2010
This review is from: An African Tale (Paperback)
With the word falling apart, it may be up to two young children to see the day through. "An African Tale" is a children's story telling of two descendants of a weather god. When water becomes an issue, it is up to them, despite their radical differences, to come to the world's aid. A fun read in a folktale style, "An African Tale" is a worthwhile pick for young readers.
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