What do you think?
Rate this book
The Singing Anthill: Ogoni Folk Tales
The folk tales reflect the occupations of the Ogoni - fishing, farming and hunting; and give insight into the customs and observances of their society. Their penchant for satire and the comic are displayed, together with the values of their civilization. The centre of most of the stories is Kuru, the Tortoise, known for his cunning and wisdom, who recognises the supreme intelligence of the oracle.
- GenresNigeria
142 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Ken Saro-Wiwa
41 books95 followersKenule "Ken" Beeson Saro Wiwa was a Nigerian writer, television producer, environmental activist, and winner of the Right Livelihood Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize.
Saro-Wiwa was a member of the Ogoni people, an ethnic minority in Nigeria whose homeland, Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta has been targeted for crude oil extraction since the 1950s and which has suffered extreme environmental damage from decades of indiscriminate petroleum waste dumping. Initially as spokesperson, and then as President, of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Saro-Wiwa led a nonviolent campaign against environmental degradation of the land and waters of Ogoniland by the operations of the multinational petroleum industry, especially the Royal Dutch Shell company.
He was also an outspoken critic of the Nigerian government, which he viewed as reluctant to enforce environmental regulations on the foreign petroleum companies operating in the area.
At the peak of his non-violent campaign, Saro-Wiwa was arrested, hastily tried by a special military tribunal, and hanged in 1995 by the military government of General Sani Abacha, all on charges widely viewed as entirely politically motivated and completely unfounded. His execution provoked international outrage and resulted in Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations for over three years.
Saro-Wiwa was a member of the Ogoni people, an ethnic minority in Nigeria whose homeland, Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta has been targeted for crude oil extraction since the 1950s and which has suffered extreme environmental damage from decades of indiscriminate petroleum waste dumping. Initially as spokesperson, and then as President, of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Saro-Wiwa led a nonviolent campaign against environmental degradation of the land and waters of Ogoniland by the operations of the multinational petroleum industry, especially the Royal Dutch Shell company.
He was also an outspoken critic of the Nigerian government, which he viewed as reluctant to enforce environmental regulations on the foreign petroleum companies operating in the area.
At the peak of his non-violent campaign, Saro-Wiwa was arrested, hastily tried by a special military tribunal, and hanged in 1995 by the military government of General Sani Abacha, all on charges widely viewed as entirely politically motivated and completely unfounded. His execution provoked international outrage and resulted in Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations for over three years.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 21, 2025
Ogoni, an ethnic group living near the Niger Delta. This anthology tells different short tales shared by the Ogoni people, retold by Ken Saro-Wiwa. Interesting to learn their moral values, social practices, and the origin of lives and animals. Very short stories,
- 用唔同動物去講故事：根據佢哋故事發生嘅事而造成嘅後果去解釋喺現實世界中佢哋嘅生活習慣，即係做作為知識的根據。例如解釋咗河馬、蟻、豬、麻鷹等，究竟點解佢哋係咁樣生存？點解會有咁樣嘅生活習慣？全部用故事去製造返前因後果，從而成為小朋友一開始接觸嘅知識，constructing their epistemology.
-有用人、有用動物去作為主角，後面嘅故事有探討埋spirits，其中有一個係半男半女，有一個係半人半靈，can explore the hybridity here.
- Kuru (tortoise) as a common protagonist: why a turtle? Turtle symbolises witty and intelligent? The symbolic meanings of different animals featured in the tales.
- many stories are about marriage or talk about martial problems.
- apparently it is a patriarchal society, where women and maidens are of the inferior position
- using songs as a response to express their distress or agony: consider it from an oral practice when these tales are told in person. How do these songs circulate among the communities (or kids)? How are these songs significant in telling folktales? What emotions are emphasised in these songs and lyrics? Can study the feature and role of the song verses
- exploring the relationship between humans and forest: the forest is a forbidden area associated with spirits. Special attention to the last story that mention how ppl should express gratitude to the area due to the use of the land and the help from the spirits. 人類可否只靠自己而唔靠外物去達成想做嘅事？借用其他人嘅地方同埋資源之後，人類抱住乜嘢取態？
- 用唔同動物去講故事：根據佢哋故事發生嘅事而造成嘅後果去解釋喺現實世界中佢哋嘅生活習慣，即係做作為知識的根據。例如解釋咗河馬、蟻、豬、麻鷹等，究竟點解佢哋係咁樣生存？點解會有咁樣嘅生活習慣？全部用故事去製造返前因後果，從而成為小朋友一開始接觸嘅知識，constructing their epistemology.
-有用人、有用動物去作為主角，後面嘅故事有探討埋spirits，其中有一個係半男半女，有一個係半人半靈，can explore the hybridity here.
- Kuru (tortoise) as a common protagonist: why a turtle? Turtle symbolises witty and intelligent? The symbolic meanings of different animals featured in the tales.
- many stories are about marriage or talk about martial problems.
- apparently it is a patriarchal society, where women and maidens are of the inferior position
- using songs as a response to express their distress or agony: consider it from an oral practice when these tales are told in person. How do these songs circulate among the communities (or kids)? How are these songs significant in telling folktales? What emotions are emphasised in these songs and lyrics? Can study the feature and role of the song verses
- exploring the relationship between humans and forest: the forest is a forbidden area associated with spirits. Special attention to the last story that mention how ppl should express gratitude to the area due to the use of the land and the help from the spirits. 人類可否只靠自己而唔靠外物去達成想做嘅事？借用其他人嘅地方同埋資源之後，人類抱住乜嘢取態？
Displaying 1 of 1 review