An oral history of African traditions
Focusing on African migrants in Scotland’s largest city, ‘Glasgow’s African Tales’ explores memories and stories of African cultural traditions and the ways in which migrants sometimes struggled to keep those traditions alive in a new land.
Traditional African storytelling
Predating the written word by millennia, the oral tradition was the primary method of preserving and relating history and culture throughout much of the world.
Here, Chief Amu relates a few of those wonderful tales to tell us about how birds learnt to fly, the good panther, free range eggs, the African magician and the magic drums.
Traditional African storytelling
Filmed Interview Clips
Focusing on their own memories, experiences and opinions, these video clips show some of our wonderful respondents talking about a wide range of topics, including naming ceremonies, rites of passage, the use of traditional African medicine in Scotland, African clothing and textiles, leadership, and traditional foods.
Filmed Interview Clips
‘Glasgow’s African Tales’
An oral history of African traditions.
Glasgow’s African Tales contains the personal testimonies of African migrants who settled in Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow, since the 1960s. Complemented by original African artwork and patterns, this fascinating oral history book explores migrants’ memories, stories and beliefs of African cultural traditions, some of which are sustained in Scotland, to explore diverse subjects such as pregnancy and birth, coming of age rituals, courtship and weddings, parenthood, clothes, textiles and foods, and much more! Enjoy!
Download our book (pdf)
