One of my favourite subjects at school was English literature. Back then, we were expected to truly engage with the text, no memorisation required (thank goodness!). The first book we studied in depth was Orwell's Animal Farm.
It was a great introduction to the subject: a simple story packed with symbolism and used to convey a profound message about the dangers of totalitarianism. In it, a group of farmyard animals rebel against their farmer in a bid to create a free and equal society.
Like me, Orwell was a big fan of clear communication. As an aside, in researching this post I came across this wonderful essay on the subject which could well have been written today
Recently I had the pleasure of researching the history of the Kongo Kingdom to assist Lilia Bongi, author of a story inspired by the stories of her childhood, and in doing so discovered the rich story-telling culture of the African continent.
Many of these stories and characters were exported to the American continent by slaves where they were eventually written down and popularised to a wider readership. Tonight, all around the world, parents will read their children the same stories that once captivated children in the villages of Africa.
For example, the Br'er Rabbit stories can be traced back to trickster figures in Africa, particularly the hare that figures prominently in the storytelling traditions in West, Central, and Southern Africa.
Click below to dive into my research on the Kongolese Kingdom.
