African Folktales Project
An open dialogue on African indigenous knowledge and wisdom found in stories that promote ecological harmony
Welcome to The African Folktales Project (AFP), a rich resource of indigenous wisdom and knowledge passed down as stories from the first human civilizations in Africa to the present. The AFP is founded on the notion that human beings are part of the evolutionary ecology and that we are future ancestors and exist to serve as custodians of knowledge about our natural world. This vital knowledge is passed down to the next generation to promote our continued existence on Earth. This project is a continuous dialogue about how our individual choices today will impact tomorrow's civilizations' survival on our shared planet. A careful selection of courses is offered using an African Indigenous Knowledge Education curriculum designed to provide holistic solutions to the challenges of achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). We use oral storytelling as the pedagogical approach to passing down this knowledge. The AFP curriculum uses traditional African stories re-imagined to inspire 21st-century learners and educators to envision a future where all world citizens work together to promote sustainable development and protect our natural landscapes.
"African indigenous knowledge has weathered all storms, taking refuge in the villages, in the forests, and in the spirit of generations ..." (Amilcar Cabral)
The AFP's flagship offerings include a book club that introduces children to the concept of sustainable development and virtual school visits that are broadcast directly into classrooms during or before lessons. These sessions offer teachers a much-needed break between different classes and can also substitute a whole school assembly presentation. The stories provide a change in pace for young children, boosting their attention and sparking their natural imaginations as they learn to create their personal narratives.
The unique teachers' pod is designed using the principles of ubuntu philosophy as a pedagogical approach to telling collective human stories. Educators at all professional levels learn to identify parts of themselves in each other as peers and as a result, they help children embrace each other's full range of human experiences.
Each storytelling session is an opportunity to pass the baton of ancestral wisdom to future storytellers to promote the spirit of global citizenship.
Services
Ubuntu is our shared human identity. It means universalist human. a person with ubuntu identifies other persons as human beings first. All other identities emerge out of a socially constructed narrative.
Partners
