Great African Reads discussion

Our topic for the first few months of 2022 is African mythology!

What should we read? Please share your nonfiction book ideas below.

"Second" the books that pique your interest-- if we get more than a handful of suggestions, then only the "seconded" ideas will make it to the poll. We'll vote on a book the first week of January.

Please feel welcome to share any articles or other interesting resources on the topic here, too.

I will have a go, and propose Indaba My Children

I suggest African Mythology, Femininity, and Maternity by Ismahan Soukeyna Diop.

Thanks, Rafael and Wayne!

It's a fine balance between nonfiction books about mythology and simply reading the stories themselves. I looked for annotated mythologies or those with introductions that put the stories in their context but didn't find much. Any more ideas?
- The Hero with an African Face: Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa

I enjoyed the reflections on mythology and worldview in Of Africa by Wole Soyinka. He has an older book that may also fit here: Myth, Literature and the African World.

African Religions: A Very Short Introduction looked like an accessible survey of belief systems, though not mythology specifically.

Here are some resources and lists of books African Mythology in case you'd like to browse:
https://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/inde...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

The Hero with an African Face: Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa

Interested in The Hero with an African Face: Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa & African Religions: A Very Short Introduction . There is also (from an African American perspective) Orishas, Goddesses, and Voodoo Queens: The Divine Feminine in the African Religious Traditions.

It may be interesting to read something like The Hero with An African Face with an actual book of myths like Indaba, my Children as a side read.

I love that idea, Carolien!

This is the first time I have joined a discussion but the topic tempts me. I would like to propose Myths and Folktales: African Stories from the Dinka of South Sudan
MYTHS & FOLKTALES: AFRICAN STORIES FROM THE DINKA OF SOUTH SUDAN

Carolien wrote: "It may be interesting to read something like The Hero with An African Face with an actual book of myths like Indaba, my Children as a side read."

I like this idea!

And the poll is up! Go vote !!

I put all the nonfiction books about African mythology mentioned above in the poll. The choices are really diverse and interesting! I'm having a hard time deciding.

As Carolien suggested, let's also discuss side reads of African myths themselves. The myths mentioned above include:
- Indaba My Children
- MYTHS & FOLKTALES: AFRICAN STORIES FROM THE DINKA OF SOUTH SUDAN
Any others you're going to read? I'm personally interested in mythology from the Coastal West African rainforests, like Guinea, in case anyone can recommend something. :)

Just a couple days left in the poll.

And we have a winner: The Hero with an African Face: Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa. Head on over to the discussion thread.