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
Loved everything here, but would push back a bit on the Black Athena recommendation. Although classics is mired historically in racism, Black Athena very much does not accurately represent history. A lot of modern classicists have definitely begun to move on from classics' racist past because of that book partly, but also the book said a bunch of incorrect stuff. Lovely episode though!
Race in African Folklore
Loved everything here, but would push back a bit on the Black Athena recommendation. Although classics is mired historically in racism, Black Athena very much does not accurately represent history. A lot of modern classicists have definitely begun to move on from classics' racist past because of that book partly, but also the book said a bunch of incorrect stuff. Lovely episode though!