African Creation Myths

Creation myths are the first geological myths in the true sense of the word, even when the accounts speak of eggs rather than rock. Creation myths address the most fundamental question of human existence: how did we get here? And as they answer this question, creation myths also provide reason for the other fundamental question of human experience: why we are here? This way, they structure the experience of living. There are hundreds of creation myths and yet, if you ask most Africans, you will most likely hear the biblical or qur’anic version. That was certainly the case for me before I started curating Mythological Africans. And so for the month of November on the Mythological Africans podcast, we will take a closer look at African creation myths. We’ll also probe, lightly as always, at what they reveal about what the people who believe in them understand about the forces and processes that move and organize their world. We start with two of my favorite Cameroonian creation myths.References* Types of Cosmogenic Myths* Eleanor A. Dasi, “Entry on: The Bali Creation Myth by Robert Ba Ndangho Fomunyang “, peer-reviewed by Daniel Nkemleke, Divine Che Neba and Susan Deacy. Our Mythical Childhood Survey (Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2018). Link: http://omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/myth-survey/item/443. Accessed 10 Jan. 2021.* Eleanor Anneh Dasi, “Entry on: How the Earth (Land) Came to Be by Nson Ngambi”, peer-reviewed by Divine Che Neba and Elizabeth Hale. Our Mythical Childhood Survey (Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2019). Link: http://omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/myth-survey/item/877. Accessed 10 Jan. 2021MA Posts About Cameroonian Myths, Folklore and CultureMeanwhile…The Watkins Book of African Folklore (…or The Mythological Africans Book) is out!The Watkins Book of African Folklore contains 50 stories, curated from North, South, East, West and Central Africa. The stories are grouped into three sections:* Creation myths and foundation legends* Stories about human relationships and the cultural institutions they created* Animal tales (with a twist…the folktales are about some of the most unlikely animals!)I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the historical and cultural context out of which the stories, their themes, and protagonists emerge. There is something for everybody!Mythological Africans is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe