Stories I Heard in West Africa

From SPARK

One-sentence summary

West African stories with illustrations and Scripture application.

Description

STORIES I HEARD IN WEST AFRICA is a collection of traditional African short stories. They were originally told orally. They have been gathered together and illustrated by David A Naff, an SIM missionary. Each story includes Scriptures that relate to the moral teachings in the story.

The human backgrounds (villages and human activities) in the illustrations are generally accurate and typical of West Africa. In addition to color pictures, each story has a black and white sketch. Permission has been given to copy and hand out the sketches as reminders of the story. The illustrations fall under a folk art category. These are African stories and there is no mention of Western ways or culture.

Additional stories are currently being developed.

Stories:

Goat Tries to be Leopard – The story shows the danger of pretending to be what you aren’t. It also points out that we need to be born again as Christians. Each of the twelve written pages has a colored picture on the opposite page. The final page is a black and white drawing that may be copied for the children to keep. The Scripture references are: John 3:3, 1:12.
The Easy Way – The story points out the dangers of stealing and laziness. Each of the sixteen written pages has a colored picture on the opposite page. The final page has a black and white drawing that may be copied for the children to keep. In this story Snake gets into trouble by taking the easy way. The Scripture references are: Proverbs 14:12, II Thessalonians 3:10, Romans 1:22.
Remember the Duck – A young African boy confesses his sin and learns about forgiveness and real freedom. Each of the sixteen written pages has a colored picture on the opposite page. The final page has a black and white drawing that may be copied for the children to keep. The Scripture references are: Romans 6:12-16, I John 1:9.
Spider’s Heavy Load (an allegory) – Spider learns the consequence of sin and the freedom of confession and cleansing. Each of the 25 written pages has a colored picture on the opposite page. The final two pages have black and white drawings to be copied for the children to keep. A brief introduction and drawing accompany this story. This is the most African of stories and more difficult for non-Africans to understand. The storyteller frequently makes comments relating the story to particular Bible verses. This story ends with the words and music spider sings on his journey. The Scripture references are: Deuteronomy 18:10; Psalms 38:3,4; Proverbs 14:12; Jonah 2:3,5; Matthew 11:28; John 14:2; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23a; II Peter 3:9; I John 1:8-9; Revelation 21:27 and Revelation 22:14.

Considerations

In preparing to tell the story:

Do not read these stories, they are meant to be told orally.
Ask God to put you at ease. The more relaxed and uninhibited you are in the telling, the more the story will be remembered and its moral teaching meditated.
Read it over several times carefully until you are familiar with its plot and characters.
Do not memorize it.
Relax.
Tell it for the enjoyment of it.
Dramatize the action and change your voice for different characters. This will help the audience to relate more to the story and remember it.
(Notes from David A. Naff)

Additional considerations

Many of the animals in the stories are typical of Africa, but some like snakes, spiders, and ants are commonly found most everywhere.
When humans are included in the illustrations they are African and dressed in African clothing. One notable exception is the baby pictured in the story: Goat Tries to be a Leopard. That baby appears to be white (with an adult head) and is wearing nappies/diapers.
Some cultures in North Africa or other parts of the world would need background preparation and explanation in order to make the stories understandable. This is especially true of the final story: Spider’s Heavy Load.
Some cultures might have difficulty with talking animals.

Limitations

Guidelines for Use

Where to Obtain

Link to Producer or Source Organization

Master Design

Cost

Purchase from Master Design

$17.99USD as of August 2008

Free downloads are also available (see below). But the spiral-bound book from Master Design may be worth getting for the quality of glossy pages and time saved downloading.

Producer/Owners

Author/Artist/Producer

David A. Naff

Current copyright owner

David A. Naff

Other Information

For other products and contact information, see: Master Design

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Date

Downloads

Notes about the files:

1) The number of pictures is indicated in parentheses after the title. This does not necessarily indicate how long it might take to download the file. (The title pages also contain five small pictures.)

2) The "B&W" files have pictures that have been enhanced, so that they are easier to see when printed in black and white. (Sometimes, when the color pictures are printed as B&W, it becomes difficult to distinguish the main characters from the background.)

3) The "Zip" files contain the title page, pictures and text in two or more separate files. The purpose is so that the text can be translated into another language and then combined with the title page and pictures.

4) Some of the "other" files are black and white line drawings that children can color.