Title: The Beardless Man of Tornabia and other stories
Author: Bernice Agyekwena
Genre: Folklore and Children’s Tales
In the grand storytelling tradition of ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ comes "The Beardless Man of Tornabia & Other Stories" by Bernice Agyekwena.
‘The Beardless Man of Tornabia & Other Stories’ is a collection of original African fairy tales rooted in the traditional beliefs, practices, myths and cultural practices of the peoples of Africa. It shares the same characteristics with traditional fairytales from all over the world. These include common themes such as an ordinary girl getting married to a personage of royalty, deprived children finding a benefactor, as well as tales examining the eternal battle between right and wrong, good and evil.
So, re-discover Africa with this vivid and exciting collection of unique African fairy tales, deeply rooted in African myths, folklore and cultural traditions, with the very talented Bernice Agyekwena in her stunning debut work for children and adults of all ages.
Excerpt:
STORY I:
THE BEARDLESS MAN OF TORNABIA
From then on, Bugadam made it his duty to take a good look at the billy goat’s beard each morning. It seemed to grow longer, fuller and more well groomed with each passing day until one day he could not help but blurt out, ‘who has been tending your beard’.
Of course he knew he was addressing an animal and Bugadam was not expecting any reply but to his surprise, the billy goat replied, ‘is that your business or you have suddenly stooped so low as to become jealous of the beard of a mere billy goat’.
Bugadam was so taken aback that he was speechless and chose to pretend he had heard nothing. After this incident, he became wary of the billy goat and avoided it at all cost.
But he did not have to wait for long before the billy goat spoke again. A few days later, while tending to a sheep, the billy goat suddenly appeared from nowhere and sneered, ‘you do need a beard, don’t you’.
Bugadam chose to ignore the billy goat again and things went back to normal until a few weeks later, just before the last and biggest beard festival celebration of the year. After tending to his livestock, he was sitting under a tree, brooding over his fate and wondering how he was going to go through another bout of unpleasant jokes during the forthcoming beard festival when the billy goat suddenly appeared beside him; ‘You know, I can help you”, it said.
“What do you mean by you can help me”, Bugadam blurted out angrily before he realized he was addressing a billy goat.
“That is simple,” the goat replied. “I will simply give you my beard. As you can see, it is so beautiful that any man will envy you.”
“Give me your beard,” said Bugadam and laughed heartily, momentarily forgetting the slight foreboding that he had about the goat. “How is that possible”, he asked.
“You should know by now that I am no ordinary goat and I possess a lot of powers. I will transfer my beard to you overnight while you sleep.”
“Oh thank you, thank you, shouted Bugadam enthusiastically. “But what should I do for you in return. I will give you anything you ask for.”
“Are you sure?” asked the billy goat.
“I am sure of that”, answered Bugadam.
“Well, now that I have your word, I will transfer my beard to you this night. I will go away and you will wear it for three years after which I will come back and ask for my reward.”
Born in Ghana, Bernice Agyekwena attended the Ghana Institute of Journalism from where she graduated with a Diploma in Journalism. She later joined the Ghana News Agency after her National Service in 1991 where she covered issues ranging from politics, health, economics and agriculture to issues on the environment, climate change, culture and human rights. Bernice also holds a Masters Degree in Social Communication from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and a Bachelors Degree in Social Science from the same university.
‘The Beardless Man of Tornabia & Other Stories’ is
Bernice Agyekwena’s first published work.
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My Review: December 2013 ~ Review Copies ~
The Beardless Man of Tornabia and Other Stories by Bernice AgyekwenaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
First, I would like to thank the author Bernice Agyekwena for giving me this book for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book of African Fairy Tales. Like all fairy tales the world over each and every story has a moral or lesson in it.
View all my reviews
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