Contes des sages d'Afrique

Born in Bandiagara, at the foot of the cliffs in the Dogon region of Mali, Amadou Hampâté Bâ campaigned in favour of the rehabilitation of African oral tradition, an authentic source of knowledge and an integral part of humanity’s cultural heritage. Calling for urgent action for the collection and the safeguarding of these oral traditions before their final disappearance, he uttered these words which have become so famous they are almost thought of as an African proverb: “In Africa, when an old man dies, a library is burnt to the ground.” These stories taken from oral tradition are now brought together in a collection of African tales. This book has not been created to simply be read, but instead to be frequently consulted like a close friend, a confidant. Ask it to nurture you, and it will nurture you, to enlighten you, and it will enlighten you, to move you, and it will move you, to play, and it will play the most mysterious game in the world with you, that of chance which does not exist. (Henri Gougaud, collection director)