Customer Reviews

A Treasury of African Folklore: The Oral Literature, Traditions, Myths, Legends, Epics, Tales, Recollections, Wisdom, Sayings, and Humor of Africa

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As far as compilations of oral literature from subsaharan Africa goes, this is one of the best. The problem is there aren't very good ones to compare it too. The translations are weak, in that they are vague and incomplete. The author reduces the African stories to the simplest sentences in order to be as brief as possible. Surely the story teller, in story telling mode, were more eloquent and elaborate. However, this is lost because the book is more concerned with giving accounts of numberous African stories rather than giving detailed accounts of just several.

Also, the colonial mentality of the author, though not as severe as his European contemporaries in the early 20th century, shines through. Thus even by around 1972, when this compilation was completed it was largely based on stories collected and written by the author and other European oral collectors decades earlier, during colonialism.

I have to agree with the second commentator; having little knowledge of the subject over the years I have really enjoyed this book. You will find folklore from tribes you are familiar with, and those you might not have heard of before. Courlander attempts to introduce tribes not only of West Africa, but East Africa as well. They are plainly written true, however, Courlander was careful to make sure that the moral of the story and the anecdote comes through in most of the stories. However, the subject would have been more broadly served if he had included the folklore of the Tauregs, Berbers, Nubians, and traditional Arabs of West Africa as well thereby conveying the rich diversity which makes up the continent. Although they are not "Black" (with the exception of the Nubians), however to imply that they are somehow not as African as others is to regulate Africa to the confines of a "Tarzan" myth. Still, whenever I read the stories to my children animated with oral story telling, they always enjoy and ask for more! I therefore highly recommend the book, especially when you consider its low price.

With respect to the other reviewer it is very important that such a work exists especially for the cheap price that it is available making it a bargain. Everything is referenced so if you do find something of particular interest you can track it down. Courlander does not pretend that this is the complete African lore rather it is geared towards offering a source for a variety of styles and sources from the diversity of the African world. If you can afford it and have the time buy cultural specific studies that will specify the specific sub-groups and unique aspects of a certian group. However many of the smaller cultures will then be neglected by people that might know about one people and feel no desire to buy something about a lesser known group that may infact interest the reader. Please all those who have ideas of writing a better book do so but don't turn people away from having one of the most useful introductions to a broad range of the continents beliefs and creations for which I have bothered to read and utilised. There is something for every one: proverbs, tales, warrior epics, creation accounts and much more. It is far better than Abraham's books which adopt the same titles as both of Courlanders books yet are not half as deep nor well written.
Love and Blessings to all. If you are a serious researcher write a book that facilitates what is missing or is needed to a field. I try to reason with so many complainers who do nothing, please don't just complain that the wall is broken get up and fix it!!