In this episode, we explore how race shows up in African folklore. We read two stories:
1. The Origin of Death from the Kunu (Guinea)
2. The Brightest Sun from Libya
The first story describes how different peoples and races came to be according to the Kunu people. Our discussion touched on its similarities to and differences from myths from other parts of the world. We also talked about the implications of being a "lettered" vs "unlettered" people. The second story really highlights how negative racialization can show up in folklore (CW!). We talked about how important it is to stay mindful of this especially given the ongoing implications for darker skinned people in Northern African countries. We also read the hilarious story of the encounter between the Bali Nyonga people of Cameroon) and the German explorer, Eugen Zintgraff. You can read how this encounter affected the Bali Nyonga creation myth here. This led us to this hilarious poem by Léopold Sédar Senghor who was a poet, politician, cultural theorist and also the first president of Senegal.
Story Source:
The Orphan Girl and Other Stories : West African Folktales by Buchi Offodile
The Brightest Sun by Salima Abd Alsadeg Abu Khasheem (Fun Fact: I retell this story in my book "The Runaway Princess and Other Stories")
Race in African Folklore