Africa at the Internet Archive: Singing Tales of Africa

I've got another book with stories from western Africa, carrying on with this week's West Africa focus. This one is a book of songs and stories: Singing Tales of Africa by Adjai Robinson.

There are seven songs from West Africa here, with the lyrics, music, and an English translation. The author, Adjai Robinson, is from Sierra Leone (he was born there in 1932), and he was a storyteller on Radio Sierra Leone before he relocated to the United States to attend Columbia University; he then returned to Africa in 1975, teaching at the Nigeria Teachers Institute in Kaduna.

Here's how the story-songs are presented: first comes the song-in-the-tale, and then the story. This is the famous hat-shaking dance of Bra Spider! The notes in the back explain the sources; this is a Krio story and song from Sierra Leone.

Here are the links to each of the story/songs: Why the Baboon has a Shining Seat / Why There is Death in the World / The Stepchild and the Fruit Trees / Ojumiri and the Giant / Ayele and the Flowers / Leave It There! / Mother-in-Law, Today is Shake-Head Day!

The woodcut illustrations by Christine Price who is the author of: Talking Drums of Africa, for which she also did the illustrations:

She also did the illustrations for this book of stories from Ethiopia by Mesfin Habte-Mariam: The Rich Man and the Singer: Folktales from Ethiopia.

So, there are stories from western Africa and also from Ethiopia to the east for you to read and enjoy at the Internet Archive, all just a click away!

Singing Tales of Africa

by Adjai Robinson

The Rich Man and the Singer:

Folktales from Ethiopia.

by Mesfin Habte-Mariam