Choosing a Leader

As many of you may know, we’re one day away from the American presidential elections. It’s certainly one of those election cycles where it feels like the choice of whoever wins will reveal something about the soul of this country. If you’re a student or lover of myth and folklore, you know there is something mythological about moments like this.Whether its birds or animals or trees or a chief with his sons, folktales in which the characters try to choose a suitable leader by assessing their strengths and weaknesses are a well known folkloric theme. Usually, a trickster-type animal wins by some sleight of hand but given the context of these elections, and the dire times, perhaps a folktale which reminds us all of how much we are dependent on eachother, ultimately, is just the thing.Even better when it involves farts…I hope you enjoy the story and please be sure to check out other African folktales on the Anike Foundation website which is where today’s story comes from. Get full access to Mythological Africans at mythologicalafricans.substack.com/subscribe