These thrilling, whimsically and action packed anthology of adventurous stories bring to life some vital aspects of traditional African culture. These wonderful African traditional stories offer a rare glimpse into a portion of African traditional culture not often openly discussed outside many remote villages they originate from. As you peer through these pages be prepared to be thrilled and amazed as some aspects of ancient African culture are brought to life through amazing story telling. Most of the stories are used to reinforce the traditional virtues in these tribal societies. Some of the stories illustrate and exemplify what happens to youngsters when they choose to follow the century old African tradition and culture; and when another youngster deviates from the traditional African values of respecting and honoring their elders. And yes, some of the stories are told to young girls in rural areas as cautionary tales to keep them from marrying total strangers outside their respective tribes. Most of the stories and folktales here are fictionalized and many characters borrowed from various cultures to entertain the reading audience, while imparting numerous traditional virtues and morals into the youngsters. The ancient traditional African elders strongly believe in inculcating and ingraining these societal virtues into their youngsters, because like the ancient Greek philosophers, the African elders deeply concurred with Plato’s enunciation that: “Now since men are by nature acquisitive, jealous, combative and erotic, how shall we persuade them to behave themselves? By the Policeman’s omnipresent club? It is a brutal method, costly and irritating. There is a better way, and this is by lending to the moral requirements of the community.”

African philosophies about the way to live a flourishing life are predominantly virtue-oriented. However, narratives of African conceptions of virtue are uncommon. This book therefore helps bridge an important gap in literature. Authors writing from South Africa, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Côte D’Ivoire and Nigeria share research on indigenous wisdoms on virtue, displaying marked consensus about the communitarian nature of African virtue ethics traditions and virtues essential for a flourishing life. They also show how indigenous virtue ethics improve corporate practices. This book will be a launchpad for further studies in Afriethics as well as a medium for sharing rich knowledge with the rest of the world.

A radical new approach to understanding Africa's elections: explaining why politicians, bureaucrats and voters so frequently break electoral rules.

A collection of stories and poems presented to teach virtues, including compassion, courage, honesty, friendship, and faith.

The deep forest and broad savannah, the campsites, kraals, and villages—from this immense area south of the Sahara Desert the distinguished American folklorist Roger D. Abrahams has selected ninety-five tales that suggest both the diversity and the interconnectedness of the people who live there. The storytellers weave imaginative myths of creation and tales of epic deeds, chilling ghost stories, and ribald tales of mischief and magic in the animal and human realms. Abrahams renders these stories in a narrative voice that reverberates with the rhythms of tribal song and dance and the emotional language of universal concerns. With black-and-white drawings throughout Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library

Theologian and veteran missionary Bernard Adeney addresses in-depth what may be the stickiest crosscultural communication problem of our day: differing approaches to morality. In this comprehensive treatment, he considers ethics across cultures, addresses the ethical import of other religions and gender relations, explores how the Bible and culture interact to produce ethical stances, and includes particular case studies. Strange Virtues will benefit not only missionaries, ethicists and students, but all Christians who want to better understand their neighbors here at home.

Help your children develop moral character with this updated, 30th anniversary edition of the perennial classic The Book of Virtues. Almost 3 million copies of the Book of Virtues have been sold since it was published in 1993. It is one of the most popular moral primers ever written, an inspiring anthology that helps children understand and develop character—and helps parents teach it to them. Thirty years ago, readers thought that the times were right for a book about moral literacy. Back then, Americans worried that schools were no longer parents’ allies in teaching good character. As the book’s original introduction noted, “moral anchors and moorings have never been more necessary.” If that was true in the 1990s, it is even more true today. The explosion of information with the Internet has left many unsure of what is valuable and what is not. Responsibility. Courage. Compassion. Loyalty. Honesty. Friendship. Persistence. Hard work. Self-discipline. Faith. These remain the essentials of good character. The Book of Virtues contains hundreds of exemplary stories offering children examples of good and bad, right and wrong. Drawing on the Bible, American history, Greek mythology, English poetry, fairy tales, and modern fiction, William J. and Elayne Bennett show children the many virtuous paths they can follow—and the ones they ought to avoid. For the 30th anniversary edition, the Bennetts have slimmed down the book’s contents, while also finding room to introduce such figures as Mother Teresa, Colin Powell, and heroes of 9/11 and the War in Afghanistan. Here is a rich mine of moral literacy to teach a new generation of children about American culture, history, and traditions—ultimately, the ideals by which we wish to live our lives. The updated edition of The Book of Virtues will continue a legacy of raising moral children far into a new century.