Bring indigenous knowledge systems into mainstream education through story-telling and stories.
Enhance learning through African stories that have been re-written for our time, making them accessible to primary school children.
Restore ecological connection, with sustainability as a central theme.
Encourage the next generation of storytellers to continue passing down these practices, knowledge and wisdom.
“My own story took a turn in 2006 when I left my birthplace in Africa to travel the world: through North America, Asia and Europe. Along my travels, I became a mother and began raising my children in countries far away from the wisdom of the elders who would have guided me, African-style. Over the years, I have learned that Africa lives within, not outside of me. In a philosophy that is the essence of being African – the Ubuntu way – reflecting the continent’s collective spirit of oneness.
In keeping with my Maasai grandfather’s footsteps, I am a nomad living far from the places along the foothills of Mt. Kenya that he explored, on foot, throughout his long life. Yet, what stays in my heart is the stories of our past. These folktales were generously shared by my elders and I continue to share them with children in different countries. As soon as I retell an old story, the memory of another one appears. There is never a shortage of this resource, and each story can be retold with a new twist, giving it a fresh, new angle to suit a diverse audience.
Once I fully understood the version of Africa that exists as stories in my heart, I began broadcasting them in this podcast for children worldwide. As a professionally trained journalist and a certified specialist in creative writing for children, storytelling is as natural to me as breathing. I come alive in all the possibilities of adventure that my mind can conjure up in the lives of mythical or legendary characters.
Acquiring a Master’s in Development Education and Global Learning also enabled me to connect the dots between formal and indigenous knowledge systems. I began to find essential knowledge that we can use to progress into happy, prosperous, and healthy citizens of the world.
Sadly, fewer grandmothers are sharing these precious stories with young children these days and old story-keepers are leaving this planet with our rich heritage and knowledge. Meanwhile, the younger generation has new social interactions that suit their time but have disconnected them from the older generation. This expanding gap between the young and the old compelled me to design African Folktales Project as a digital space where these stories can be recollected. This is a globally accessible classroom offering the gift of African oral storytelling to young children worldwide.
I believe that storytelling is the most authentic form of self-expression and has the power to heal differences among cultures and unite the world to promote global citizenship. It is exciting to be able to share the knowledge and wisdom of my ancestors with the rest of the world. I can hear the echoes of the original storytellers in a widely accessible digital medium, unavailable in their time. This space now serves the great purpose of connecting past, present, and future storytellers.”