This is the first in our twelve African Folktale series. It is the illustrated long version of a known and well-loved folktale. An African folktale is quite different from an ordinary story, because this is a life story, based upon fact and tradition rather than pure fiction.
The African folktales are common to most of the tribes and peoples of Africa. Different cultures, whilst sharing common points of reference, will color each story with their own rich and unique heritage.
When recounting this much-loved story of How the Zebra Got His Stripes, I have tried to keep the “voice” of the original storytellers, as they would have spoken, centuries ago. The world was a simpler place then and to preserve the oral traditions, they would have had to undergo translation into foreign tongues.
Therefore, there are many versions of each tale and I believe this story captures the essence of originality, having been adapted correctly from a traditional oral folktale, thereby preserving its uniqueness.
The African folktales are common to most of the tribes and peoples of Africa. Different cultures, whilst sharing common points of reference, will color each story with their own rich and unique heritage.
When recounting this much-loved story of How the Zebra Got His Stripes, I have tried to keep the “voice” of the original storytellers, as they would have spoken, centuries ago. The world was a simpler place then and to preserve the oral traditions, they would have had to undergo translation into foreign tongues.
Therefore, there are many versions of each tale and I believe this story captures the essence of originality, having been adapted correctly from a traditional oral folktale, thereby preserving its uniqueness.
