Akan Folktales

This collection presents seven Akan folktales documented in the Atiwa area of Ghana's Eastern Region as part of the Sustainable Environmental Education and Climate Activism through Popular Culture (SEECAP) Project. The stories form part of a larger body of more than 50 oral narratives recorded during fieldwork. Following a careful review of the recordings, seven narratives that were sufficiently complete and coherent for transcription, translation and public dissemination were selected for this collection.
The folktales provide insights into Akan oral tradition, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, cultural values and community life. Through human and non-human characters and the situations in which they interact, the stories communicate knowledge and perspectives concerning morality, social relationships, human behaviour, the environment and relationships between people and the natural world. They demonstrate the continuing importance of African folktales and oral storytelling as repositories of Indigenous knowledge, cultural memory and community-based education.