Myths and Legends of Africa [antikvár]

I !i' ; I 'FOREWORDIn Africa, stories like those in this book form part of the oral tradition of the tribes they come from. They are often told with mime and music; they live in their listener's memories, and a favourite story might thus have several variations. Once committed to writing, they crystallize.These tales have come from collections made by missionaries, folklorists and ethnographers. Despite the wide range of books of African tales already available, whether for scholars or retold for children, this is, as far as I know, the only one which groups the selected stories according to their provenance, prefacing each group with a brief description of the country, culture and people among which the stories were told.I have tried to make the selection balanced as well as entertaining. In choosing the African sculptures, artefacts and scenes for the illustrations, I have, as far as I could, selected them with reference to the story on that page, and in the imaginative illustrations the artist and I have aimed at ethnographical accuracy.Margret Carey