Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales

Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales

Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales

Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales

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Overview

Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales is an extraordinary audiobook featuring Gillian Anderson, Benjamin Bratt, LeVar Burton, Ricardo Chavira, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Hayes, Hugh Jackman, Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Debra Messing, Helen Mirren, Parminder Nagra, Sophie Okonedo, CCH Pounder, Alan Rickman, Jurnee Smollett, Charlize Theron, Blair Underwood, Forest Whitaker and Alfre Woodard with a special message from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Original Music by South African legends by Johnny Clegg and Vusi Mahlasela, Directed by Alfre Woodard. The audiobook was a truly international affair recorded in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, London, and Johannesburg.

The stories were chosen by the Nobel Laureate himself, from every region of Africa.


"We hope this audiobook will be enjoyed by people of all ages across the globe, increasing awareness of Africa's rich cultures while creating a better future for South Africa's most vulnerable children," said ANSA Executive Director Sharon Gelman.

In his original foreword for the folktales, Nelson Mandela wrote, "It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller may never die in Africa, that all the children of the world may experience the wonder of books." The audiobook brings his vision full circle, as these timeless tales return to the oral tradition to be heard around the world.

Editorial Reviews

Bill Cosby

A wonderful book that introduces children and adults alike to the magical world of African fairy tales and creation myths....a treasure for everyone in the family.

Publishers Weekly

Nobel Peace laureate Mandela understandably gets top billing here, but this collection of short fables compiles writings and translations by numerous authors and features illustrations by a diverse collection of artists. Together, the tales and their accompanying artwork create a patchwork of legends drawn from all over the African continent, from Morocco to Kenya to Swaziland. Snakes with seven heads and Zulu tricksters are found here, as well as various creation myths and a Kenyan lion (with the familiar name of Simba) who teaches a cunning hyena a lesson. The colorful birds, giant elephants and mischievous children populating the volume teach sometimes cryptic lessons about obedience, perseverance, cooperation and the simple strangeness of life. In one story, the children of an East African village must destroy a beautiful and enchanting bird that has brought bad luck to the surrounding countryside. In another, a courageous girl frees a prince from the spell that made him a python. In tales such as these, the dream-like, unpredictable symbology and sometimes cruel morality of myths resonate, and, in Mandela's words, the "gritty essence of Africa" shines through in stories with universal themes. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

South African hero Mandela chooses 32 African folktales, some predating Ovid, and decks them out with specially commissioned illustrations. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-5-Mandela states in the foreword, "It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller will never die in Africa-.," and he has chosen 32 traditional tales for this handsome oversized volume. While nearly half the selections have their origins in South Africa, the rest represent some of the continent's most cherished tales and come from Botswana, Swaziland, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and other sub-Saharan countries as well as a single selection from Morocco. Each story is introduced with a short provenance or source note, and a frontispiece map matches each tale with its geographical area. Told by a variety of storytellers and folklorists, or gleaned from previously published sources, the tellings vary from literary to contemporary. The book also provides a showcase for 18 illustrators, mostly from South Africa, who contributed one full-page illustration per story. This is a rich collection that would provide depth and breadth to any classroom study alongside the many single-tale picture-book editions readily found on library shelves.-Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Nelson Mandela

"It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller will never die in Africa, that all the children in the world may experience the wonder of books."

JULY 2009 - AudioFile

What a special collection of preserved and retold folklore, creation stories, and fables from Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and all over the African continent! Some of the stories lend themselves better to a more dynamic reading, and those are the most successful ones in this format—CCH Pounder reading "Sannie Langtand and the Visitor" is a standout, as is Don Cheadle's performance of the charming "Fesito Goes to Market." Not all of the celebrity narrations and individual productions are as successful—it's particularly distracting when words are obviously dubbed in, for example—but as a whole, the collection is funny and magical, enhanced by wonderful music from Johnny Clegg and Vusi Mahlasela (and don't miss the illustrations, included in a bonus PDF). That this is a benefit production makes it even more special—bravo. J.M.D. 2010 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940170234226
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication date: 07/01/2009
Edition description: Unabridged
Age Range: 8 - 11 Years
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