African Myths

More than 150 years after the end of the Civil War, scores of websites, articles, and organizations repeat claims that anywhere between 500 and 100,000 free and enslaved African Americans fought willingly as soldiers in the Confederate army. But as Kevin M. Levin argues in this carefully researched book, such claims would have shocked anyone who served in the army during the war itself. Levin explains that imprecise contemporary accounts, poorly understood primary-source material, and other misrepresentations helped fuel the rise of the black Confederate myth.

Long ago a trickster rabbit cheated other animals in order to become more elegant. What happened when the other animals caught on? Find out in this tale from Uganda. The rabbit wants the fox’s tail, the fish’s scales, the bird’s feathers, and the leopard’s spots and greedily tosses away one feature for the next.

African ideas of how the world began are very different from the story of Genesis. Though the creator god is repeatedly seen as having withdrawn from the world, people often have a very direct and intense relationship with demigods, ancestors, and bush spirits. The entire landscape is permeated by spiritual meanings and inhabited by gods and spirits. While many Africans today formally follow the Christian or Muslim faiths, they often blend these beliefs with traditional lore and rites.

The police murders of two Black men, Philando Castile and George Floyd, frame this searing exploration of the historical and fictional narratives that white America tells itself to justify and maintain white supremacy. From the country's founding through the summer of Black Lives Matter in 2020, David Mura unmasks how white stories about race attempt to erase the brutality of the past and underpin systemic racism in the present.

Trois contes d'Afrique de l'Ouest racontés par Hassane Kouyaté, le plus célèbre des griots. Hilarant ! Les histoires de Papa Hyène, Papa Lièvre et Petit Jean, grandes figures de la tradition orale d'Afrique de l'Ouest, n'ont pas fini de vous faire rire. Pour nourrir leur famille ou éviter une dispute avec leur femme, ils ne reculent devant rien. À leurs risques et périls !

Now a guardian in training, Maya spends her days patching up veils with her father and cleaning up near-disasters like baby wormholes that her erratic powers create. But when Maya and her friends discover that something went terribly wrong during their journey to bring her father back to the human world, they are forced to return to The Dark and restore what they left behind, the one thing keeping the veil from falling: her father’s soul.

Black women face a hidden mental health crisis of anxiety and depression. To be a Black woman in America is to know that you cannot protect your children or guarantee their safety, that your value is consistently questioned, and that even being "twice as good" is often not good enough. Consequently, Black women disproportionately experience anxiety and depression. Studies now conclusively connect racism and mental health - and physical health. Time to take care of your emotional health. Because you deserve to be emotionally healthy for yourself and those you love.

Corinne LaMer defeated the wicked jumbie Severine months ago, but things haven't exactly gone back to normal in her Caribbean island home. Everyone knows Corinne is half-jumbie, and many of her neighbors treat her with mistrust. When local children begin to go missing, snatched from the beach and vanishing into wells, suspicious eyes turn to Corinne. To rescue the missing children and clear her own name, Corinne goes deep into the ocean to find Mama D'Leau, the dangerous jumbie who rules the sea.

Bran and Fran love living with their mum, who is the storyteller at the Once Upon a Wow bookstore in their small Midlands town. But when mum goes missing and her stories turn out to be a portal to another world, they're going to have a huge, magical adventure on their hands. Luckily, they have Wilma, the Wizard's Wife, and Zack, the wisecracking Zebracorn, to help them on their journey. And they're going to need help because there are evil princes, mud monsters and Viking armies all standing in their way.

Cameron Battle grew up reading The Book of Chidani, cherishing stories about the fabled kingdom that cut itself off from the world to save the Igbo people from danger. Passed down over generations, the Book is Cameron’s only connection to his parents who disappeared one fateful night, two years ago. Ever since, his grandmother has kept the Book locked away, but it calls to Cameron.

Jarell has accepted his destiny as the savior of Ulfrika. But a powerful god will stop at nothing to banish Jarell from the kingdom forever.

The extensive history of Africa provides us with a topic of curiosity and novelty. For this reason, this guide has been composed to help you understand some of the cultural anecdotes as well as the religious and traditional tales that have been told to previous generations. When we dive into some background information, you will have a better grasp of the context of the four intense stories that follow. Enjoy this short, simple yet profound compilation of African myths.

Even long ago, there was day and night. The day was full of light and warmth, and people and animals alike rejoiced in the rays of the sun. But what happens when people get greedy and take the Night for granted? What will become of the Earth and those who dwell upon it? Katherine Jumbe masterfully brings the world of the Malawian savanna to life, telling a rhythmic tale perfect for bedtime.

In a vibrant village where folklore is the fabric of daily life, a spirited girl named Zuri has a special connection with the stars. One evening, under a sky bursting with constellations, Zuri learns from her grandmother that these are not just stars, but the lights of ancient African gods and goddesses.

Now Yomi and her younger brother Kayode are official members of the Sacred Beast League, they can’t wait for more adventures! And when a Yumboe – a fairy-like creature from Senegal – seeks them out and asks for their help, they’re ready to shine. But with a secret city to protect, beast hunters to outsmart and moon magic in the mix, Yomi and Kay will have to put their skills to the test ...

Welkom in de rijke en betoverende wereld van Afrikaanse mythologie, waarin de hemel en aarde doordrongen zijn van goddelijke krachten, heldhaftige avonturen en tijdloze verhalen die generatie na generatie worden doorgegeven. Dit boek neemt je mee op een reis door de diverse culturen van Afrika, waar goden en godinnen, mythische wezens en legendarische helden een diepgaande invloed hebben gehad op het weefsel van het dagelijkse leven.

Containing delightful stories from the Yoruba and other West African peoples, this book presents tales of courage and cunning, virtue and vice, and fortunes found and lost. Some of these stories draw upon actual historical persons and events, while others are purely fictional, but each story has something to delight any listener.

In 1656, a planter in colonial Maryland tortured and killed one of his slaves, an Angolan man named Antonio who refused to work the fields. Over three centuries later, a Detroit labor organizer named Simon Owens watched as strikebreakers wielding bats and lead pipes beat his fellow autoworkers for protesting their inhumane working conditions. Antonio and Owens had nothing in common but the color of their skin and the economic injustices they battled - yet the former is what defines them in America’s consciousness.

In a forest in Haiti, Waslene meets a much-needed friend while gathering firewood for her greedy stepmother.

El recién nombrado joven rey de un poderoso reino africano, se deja llevar por sus aduladores. Tendrá que sufrir una dura caída para descubrir lo realmente importante en la vida.