Echoes of the Ancestors

Echoes of the Ancestors: The Enduring Relevance of the Mythologies from our Ancient, African Ancestors challenges readers to abandon their preconceived notions and the many stereotypes relegated to Africa and Africans, and to engage with a collection of African myths as a way to learn from the past and discover new solutions for modern challenges.

The book demonstrates the power of African myths to give meaning to experience. It offers readers a glimpse of the amazing diversity, knowledge, and ageless wisdom found in the mythology of the African continent. The text features stories from West, Central, East, and Southern African, as well as the African Islands. Readers are encouraged to engage with the stories and find new ways of understanding ancient stories with an emphasis on drawing connections to their own lives.

The book is organized into four distinct units that address: the storyteller, the audience, and the landscape; traditions, creativity, and memory; origins, alchemy, and home; and evolution, application, and tomorrow. Individual concepts and topics covered include ancestral wisdom, the role of the mystic, African mythological traditions, African creation myths, African mythological metaphors for life, personal mythologies, and more.

The revised first edition features coverage of a new myth, “The Woman with Two Skins.”

Underscoring the concepts of healing, unitary participation, and positive transformation, Echoes of the Ancestors is an emotional and illuminating resource for courses in Africana studies and African and world mythology.