Dagbani Folktales

This collection presents Dagbani folktales gathered from the communities of Kpalisɔɣu, Luɣishɛɣu and Mɔɣilaa in the Northern Region of Ghana. The narratives were shared by community members through storytelling sessions and complemented by interviews and community discussions undertaken as part of the S-GEDSI project. They preserve aspects of Dagbamba Indigenous knowledge and provide insights into cultural philosophies, communal values, social relationships and understandings of human behaviour.
The stories encompass a broad range of themes and often permit multiple interpretations. While most do not explicitly focus on gender, selected narratives reveal gendered meanings and perspectives alongside other concerns relating to family and community life, social inclusion and exclusion, orphanhood, disability, vulnerability, justice, responsibility, care and protection. As a collection, the narratives demonstrate the important role of Dagbani oral tradition in transmitting cultural knowledge, reflecting on social relationships and communicating moral and communal values across generations.