Boniface Books

This 48 page book lives up to its blurb, which describes it as "A Collection of six campfire tales passed from deep within the heart of rural Africa"The voice of the storyteller is authentic so thatreaders/listeners feel the power of prose.These are contemporary tales so they convey much about rural life in modern Africa,its customs and traditions, its values and rhythms of living on the land.Villagers gain wealth and status through ownership of roosters,pigs, and land, show each other courtesies such as sharing palm wine and kolanuts,and pay attention to the words of shamans.Some events in the stories, such as the title tale remain mysterious; in other stories, an explanation is ultimately provided.Often a moral is appended,such as "Be kind and gentle for you never know".Those treated badly come back as revenging ghosts and cleverness, as in the story of Umfana is rewarded.Those who don't listen to their wives such as the thief Atangana, also get what they deserve.In all, these lively stories bring to readers pictures of a life which, for them, is far away and very intriguing.
I plan to use this book the next time I teach a class in folklore.

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