Mythological Africans Podcast

Feb 02 2025 80 ep. 27 mins 5

Mythological Africans Podcast artwork

The Mythological Africans Podcast features live recordings of the Mythological Africans Twitter Spaces Storytime sessions, public talks, and episodes of the Mythological Africans Deep Dive series which you can watch on YouTube. Join us to delve into the rich diversity of oral traditions and worldviews from the African continent, and discover the intricate and textured African mythic imagination.

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Hello 2025!

Feb 02 2025 13 mins

Welcome to the very first episode of MA 2025!If you are a longtime friend, thank you for sticking with Mythological Africans all these years.If you’re new, welcome to the community! Mythological Africans (or MA) is a corner of the internet where we talk about mythology and folklore from the African continent, using the stories and ideas to make sense of the world we live in.In th

2024 Finale

Dec 29 2024 19 mins

Overview44 episodes, about 12,000 downloads, and over 3,000 new friends, subscribers, and followers from across the world! I can’t express how grateful I am for your time, your attention and above all your support throughout this year. Listen to catch snippets from my favorite five episodes from 2024, and get the 411 on the plan for next year. Featured EpisodesFeatured EssayMeanw

Njoya: The Icon

Dec 22 2024 16 mins

We ended last week with the tragic fall of Nsa’gu, Fon of the Bamum people in Cameroon, to the Nso. In this episode, we delve into the Bamum side of the story which culminates in Nsa’gu’s fall in the 1800s and Njoya’s rise to power and rule which extended into the 1900s. In keeping with history and tradition, sibling rivalries and succession battles abound!Can’t Get Enoug

Game of Stools

Dec 15 2024 14 mins

But First…You Were Promised Discounts! The Watkins Book of African Folklore is on Tertulia!Pro-Tip: If you create an account and join the Tertulia co-op, you get 50% off your first book, up to 20% off all books, and free shipping. Pretty sweet, huh? It only costs $25/year after your free 30-day trial and you can cancel anytime!Back To Regularly Scheduled ProgrammingWe’ve spent

Son Jara, Dankaran Touman and the Jelimusows

Dec 08 2024 13 mins

This episode is brought to you by another instance of my brain refusing to give me peace until I worked out a puzzle it threw at me. Last week, we talked about the case of the AmaNdebele of South Africa and the Ashanti of Ghana who have versions of a birthright theft story very similar to that of Jacob and Esau in the Bible. My maniac of a brain has been digging up similar stories

African Folklore or the Bible?

Dec 01 2024 12 mins

Have you ever stopped while reading a folktale and wondered where you’ve seen the story before? In this week’s episode we look at a folkloric account from the Ndebele of South Africa and the another from the Ashanti of Ghana which have striking similarities to a biblical account. Mythological Africans is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work,

To tell or to retell?

Nov 24 2024 11 mins

If you know anything about Mythological Africans, you know we love folktale retellings around here. My first book, The Runaway Princess and Other Stories, is a collection of prose and verse retellings of folktales about girls and women from across the continent. I think retellings create space for us to see from other perspectives, especially those of individuals, communities or id

A Donkey Named Fritla

Nov 17 2024 5 mins

We travel to Morocco today to meet Fritla the donkey and his owner who just can’t catch a break.References* Koudia, Jilali El, et al. “A Donkey Named Fritla.” Moroccan Folktales, Syracuse University Press, 2003, pp. 135–37. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt20wf357.34.Can’t Get Enough?* More Moroccan Folktales! Meanwhile…You already know “The Watkins Book of African

Freestyle

Nov 10 2024 10 mins

Proofreading has turned my brain to mush, so there will be no scripted narratives this episode. But if you like kitties and want to hear me wax poetic about my upcoming book, stick around!Meanwhile…You already know “The Watkins Book of African Folklore” or the “Mythological Africans Book”, is now available for preorder! Click image for preordering options!Can’t Get Enou

Choosing a Leader

Nov 03 2024 7 mins

As many of you may know, we’re one day away from the American presidential elections. It’s certainly one of those election cycles where it feels like the choice of whoever wins will reveal something about the soul of this country. If you’re a student or lover of myth and folklore, you know there is something mythological about moments like this.Whether its birds or animals or