Congolese Stories

Congo has a rich and diverse assortment of folk tales. A great variety of tales, legends, myths and fables have been passed on from generation to generation. In these tales the African storyteller describes human failings and virtues, religious representations and the surrounding nature to his listeners. To the storyteller, animals, or objects such as a piece of clay pot, become amusing and significant representations of human frailty and morality. Bertil Söderberg, Doctor of Philosophy, who spent many years in the Republic of the Congo studying its people and their lives, has accumulated these folk tales and made them accessible for Swedish readers. These tales are not only beneficial to children, but to adults as well. This is the first time that a selection of the Congolese people’s cherished folk tales has been made available in Swedish.