At Campus Elementary we recently read the book "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" by John Steptoe in library. The subtitle is "An African Tale", and the notes inside the book indicate that the author's inspiration for the story was a folktale from the book "Kaffir Folktales", a collection of folk-lore stories compiled by G.M. Theal. The text in question was first published in 1895, and it is now in the public domain. This means anyone can read it for free. The entire text can be read on the web at this link:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/xft/
It appears that the specific folktale that was the primary inspiration for "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" was "The Story of Five Heads". It is interesting to compare the Steptoe version to the original folktale: many elements are retained, but overall the story's tone and plot has been altered, probably to make it more appealing to a modern Western audience and to the sensibilities of young children.
Cultural note: "Kaffir" is an old and pejorative term for the ethnic group most commonly known today as the Xhosa people, the ethnic group to which both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu belong.
I like this book because it is a very enjoyable moralistic fairy tale that is accessible to elementary school kids of all levels. The illustrations are also wonderful, and make the story come to life. I also appreciate the fact that this book's text and illustrations create a very positive and affirmative portrayal of a part of the world that is too often portrayed in mostly negative and non-affirming ways.
- Dennis De Boer
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