Product Description

The folk tales reflect the occupations of the Ogoni - fishing, farming and hunting; and give insight into the customs and observances of their society. Their penchant for satire and the comic are displayed, together with the values of their civilization. The centre of most of the stories is Kuru, the Tortoise, known for his cunning and wisdom, who recognises the supreme intelligence of the oracle.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1220002 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

African Grimm
Ken Saro-Wiwa was to the Ogoni what Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm were to the German culture. Folk tales from oral tradition written down in a palatable way to make accessible to readers, that was the goal of the Brothers Grimm and that was clearly the goal of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Folk tales focus on the basic values and the basic sense of fairness and justice among a people. That's what "The Singing Anthill" does for the reader: it opens a new culture and some new ways of thinking to the reader. And then, one is also surprised at how many universals of human thinking one tends to run across in this volume. Like the folk tales of the Grimms, this collection aims at and satisfies both the childlike imagination and the slightly more adult sense of ironies. Pure delight!