Publisher's Synopsis
Storytelling is one of the intrinsic components of many African cultures. Folktales are told not only for fun and amusement, but also to educate and teach values and morals in society. On nights when it is clear and there is good moonlight, the storytelling sessions may be prolonged and last well into the early hours of morning. The stories are often based upon various animal characters. In such, the animal character in question will assume multiple character traits of both animal and human. Animal characters frequently are wise, honest, cunning, treacherous, or foolish and behave in a manner consistent with human personalities. Among the Yoruba people of West Africa, many of their fables feature the tortoise whose full name is Ijapa ti roko oko Yannibo, or Ijapa for short. He is a master trickster, wise and very cunning. In most of his stories, Ijapa uses his tricks to get out of any predicament in which he might find himself. However, he is often not on the lucky side of the outcome. It is not unusual to find Ijapa dead at the end of a given story. Storytelling in the Yoruba culture is a participatory activity involving both the storyteller and the listeners. In fact, typically, the opening of any story is in the form of a call and response: The advent of technology has affected the storytelling culture of many Africans. People living in urban areas rarely visit rural villages and are frequently entertained by technological inventions like television and video games. The stories are accompanied by songs, which add dimension to the telling and are often central to the story's plot. There are some questions at the end of each of the stories from "the storyteller" that will help to stimulate discussion between the storyteller and the audience. Download the audio tracks of the presented folksongs in the stories from www.iyailu.com.
