African Folktales: Traditional Bedtime Stories for the Modern Kid

Today our magic jeep visits a couple and their dog from a faraway land! Make sure to listen closely for the bell. The bell will ring when I say the “Magic Word of the Story.” Listen all the way to the end to discover if you guessed it correctly, and have fun!

Today our magic jeep takes us to visit a Mother Goat and her kids, who live in a beautiful house right by the mountains. When Mother Goat needs to gather grass, she leaves the young ones at home and warns them not to open the door for anyone who doesn't know her special song. But when sneaky Hyena figures it out, what happens next? Tune in to find out!

Today our magic jeep brings us to a land where everyone seems to have bad luck. No matter how hard they try to get rid of it, nothing works! It will take the smart thinking of a group of ants to break the cycle. How will they manage to do it?

Today our magic jeep visits our friend Hyena, who is determined to win the Queen's special prize – a magical flute that plays on its own! The only problem is that in order to do so, he must find out what the secret phrase is. How will Hyena figure it out? Come along on our adventure to see what he thinks of!

Today our magic jeep travels back to a time when crows and hawks played together. We'll meet Koongoo′roo, the captain of the crows, and Mway′way, leader of the hawks. When the two sides are caught up in a game of steal-the-bottlecap, the crows realize there are far too many hawks to defeat. Clever Koongoo′roo must then come up with a way for his team to win. What does he have planned? Join Miss Jo Jo to find out!

Today our magic jeep travels to a distant kingdom, where we'll meet a spoiled princess named Hadiza. After she demands more and more gold from her father, trouble arises when the king's warriors steal gold from a terrible monster. It's up to Hadiza to make things right again…but will she succeed? Listen to find out what happens next!

Today we are bubbling our way to Frogs farm! We see how a kind act went too far. Find out how one frog got so excited to say thank you to everyone that it backfired. Is it better to sometimes work smarter than harder?

Today our magic jeep visits Father Anansi and his son Keku, who have a very scary encounter with a dragon! When it snatches them away and locks them up in its castle, the clever Keku must find a way to save everyone. What will his plan be?

Today our magic jeep takes us to where a Warthog has built a nice big house. But the Warthog sees the Lion from one of our old stories and he becomes very scared. The Warthog runs into his home and decides to try out an old trick he heard from the Jackal, not knowing that the Lion has a very good memory. In this story, I will teach you why the Warthog likes to be on the ground!

Today our magic jeep takes us to where a man named Ali wishes to set out and earn a fortune for him and his wife. After some work, Ali has enough money to buy two camels. But he soon ends up giving away his camels for some valuable advice from the fortune teller. Will this advice end up paying off for Ali? Miss JoJo is here to let you know!

Today our magic jeep takes us to Accra! We follow a young man who learns about a mysterious person. Yonde goes on a long adventure and learns some valuable lessons along the way. Is having all the money in the world really that important. Can money buy happiness?

Today our magic jeep visits Chief Zewdu and his sister Fana, who live deep in the savanna with a group of baboons. Despite being the leader, Zewdu notices the other monkeys bossing each other around! Join us on our adventure to find out how Zewdu and Fana bring order to this rowdy bunch!

Today our magic jeep brings us to a small town, where we meet Magala the tailor and his son, Jabulani! The young boy is given a pet sheep by his father…which soon starts talking! Jabulani tries telling his father, but Magala won't believe him. What happens next? Tag along with Miss Jo Jo to find out!

IMANI - FAITH - to believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. Kwanzaa Time with Aunti Oni series ends by highlighting the 7th principle of IMANI, Faith. Based on a Native American folktale, a loving Grandfather teaches his grandchildren the importance of having faith in yourself and making the right choices. STORY CREDIT: THE IMANI TREE by Oni Lasana

Description: UJIMA: KUUMBA - CREATIVITY, to always do as much as we can, in any way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. Aunti Oni shares her creativity with her poem “Kwanzaa All The Time” Aunti invites kids to show off their creativity and rap along with her. ! To create their own poem about Kwanzaa and a shout out for everyone to practice the principles of Kwanzaa year round! POEM CREDIT : KWANZAA ALL THE TIME by Oni Lasana

NIA - PURPOSE, to make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. Listeners get a glimpse into the learning experience of little Nia Wilhemina on day 5 of Kwanzaa Time! Nia learns the ‘purpose' of her name and how the determination of other African Americans shaped many inventions we use today.

UJAMAA - COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS - to build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together. Listeners will experience the true story of a businesswoman, Maggie Lena Walker.,1864-1934 Miss Walker was the first African American owner of a bank, newspaper, and department store in Richmond, Virginia. Enjoy learning about this trailblazer of cooperative economics, in her own words.  STORY CREDIT: Maggie Lena Walker Speaks by Oni Lasana

UJIMA: COLLECTIVE WORK & RESPONSIBILITY - to build and maintain our community together and make our sister's and brother's problems our problems and to solve them together. In this episode of Kwanzaa Time! w Aunti Oni travels to North Philly where young brother Kai practices UJIMA, the 3rd principle of Kwanzaa. His first haircut changes his life, and in the process, he learns of being responsible to himself and his community during COVID-19. STORY CREDIT: Kai and The Kwanzaa Mask (c) 2020 Michelle Washington Wilson & Oni Lasana

KUJICHAGULIA-SELF DETERMINATION, to define ourselves, speak for ourselves, instead of being defined and spoken for by others. Day 2 of Kwanzaa Time! continues with the story of Kuji. A young man whose attitude of determination and willingness to serve others, won the respect of his teacher, and his classmates.  STORY CREDIT: KUJI'S CHOICE - by Oni Lasana

UMOJA - UNITY, to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.  This delightful Day 1 of Kwanzaa Time!  Aunti Oni tells of Mr. Anthologist, who travels from North America to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe to learn the ways of the people. But what Mr. Anthologists learned was a lesson - in sharing, caring, and unity. STORY CREDIT: UBUNTU! South African folktale, adapted by Oni Lasana

Today our magic jeep takes us to Accra! We follow a young man who learns about a mysterious person. Yonde goes on a long adventure and learns some valuable lessons along the way. Is having all the money in the world really that important. Can money buy happiness?

Today our magic jeep introduces us to a man named Chidi, who owns a magic wand that can transport him anywhere! When a neighbor ends up borrowing it without asking, it's up to Chidi and his friend Baako to get it back. What plan will they come up with? Tag along with Miss Jo Jo to find out!

Today our magic jeep takes us to a land with a very clever and smart Jackal. One day when the Jackal was moving through the land he came across a great Lion! The Jackal was scared for his life, he thought the Lion might eat him. So our clever and smart Jackal devised a plan to trick the Lion. Will it work? Listen and find out!

Today our magic jeep visits Father Anansi and his son Keku, who have a very scary encounter with a dragon! When it snatches them away and locks them up in its castle, the clever Keku must find a way to save everyone. What will his plan be?

Today our magic jeep takes us deep into the night! We go into the sky and follow the story of Lightning and the Thunder. A long, long time ago the Thunder and Lightning lived on the earth with all the other people. So how did they end up in the sky? Listen and find out!

Today our magic jeep is cruising through a forest! We follow a frog who seems nice and innocent. It is said that once in the old days, the frog was teased by other animals of the forest because she had no tail. She was deeply embarrassed, so she went to the sky god to see if a tail could be given to her. Will it work out? Listen and find out!

Today our magic jeep takes us to a special Kingdom to find out about a monkey who did everything he could to be made the King! Were all the animals happy the monkey became the King? Find out which animal was not very happy about this at all!

A long time ago there lived an old woman who had the best chicken soup in the market. People would come from all over the land to try this incredible soup. One person that enjoyed it more than the rest was a small boy who came up with a plan to get even more soup to eat. Will his plan work? Or will trying to get more to eat hurt everyone else who wants to enjoy the delicious soup.

Today our magic jeep brings to a princess who is due to be married. The only problem is that she has fallen in love with two strong men. One of them is called Fire and the other is called Rain. Both men must pull out all the stops to win the princess's heart. Who will win the contest between Fire and Rain?  

Today our magic jeep takes us to learn about a special shovel that's one of a kind. In the beginning, there was only one shovel in the world, and men worked their fields with a knife. Today we learn a very special lesson about all the great inventions in our community. But always make sure not to take advantage of the situation!  Story sourced from Harold Courlander

New episodes come out every Wednesday for free, with 1-week early access for ABF Fam subscribers. Today our magic jeep takes us to visit a Mother Goat and her kids, who live in a beautiful house right by the mountains. When Mother Goat needs to gather grass, she leaves the young ones at home and warns them not to open the door for anyone who doesn't know her special song. But when sneaky Hyena figures it out, what happens next? Tune in to find out! Loved this episode??? Be sure to let us know at this link!!! Your voice matters: https://ratethispodcast.com/africanfolktales

Today our magic jeep takes us to a dispute between the sun and the water! Many years ago the sun and water were great friends, and both lived on the earth together. So how did their fight impact the way we see the sun and moon today? Listen and find out!

New episodes of African Folktales with Ms Jo Jo premiere on October 17th on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Or, you can listen to episodes one week early before everyone else when you subscribe to ABF Fam in Apple Podcasts.

Today our magic jeep arrives in a place where the Grasshopper and the Toad are best friends. That is until they invite each other over for dinner and realize that there are some annoying things they dislike about each other. Can they find common ground as friends, or will the friendship come to an end? 

Today our magic jeep takes us to where a boy named Afi wishes to go hunting. But when it begins to rain, he asks the tortoise for shelter. This results in Afi getting stuck on a drum. The tortoise then carries the drum to the village for a drumming competition. Can the tortoise win with his special drum?

Today our magic jeep takes us to a place where there's a chief who loves good stories. Just like you! But this chief issues a challenge for someone to tell him the longest story ever. Nobody thinks this is possible, until a young storyteller named Mo shows up. Does Mo really know the longest story in the world?

Hello my little ones! We've got some exciting news for you. Take a listen to my good friend Kiddy Casey and her brand new show Five Minute Mysteries. Listen in as Kiddy Casey investigates ALL of life's mysteries. That means everything from ancient puzzles, to creepy cryptid encounters, and mind-boggling science secrets. No matter how big or wild the mystery may be, Kiddy Casey is always on the case! And you can join the case too! Check out Five Minute Mysteries right now! The all new Five Minute Mysteries is now available on Apple and Spotify! Make sure you follow now to get two new episodes a week.

Today our magic jeep brings us to a village where animals can speak like humans! When the good Queen gets sick one day, it's up to clever Tortoise to save the day. But how will she manage to convince proud Elephant to help them out?

Today our magic jeep brings us to where a goat is traveling with her daughter. But as they travel there are many dangers. Other animals want to eat them. The goat decides to teach her daughter a nice trick to scare away the wicked predators. Come and hear how the goat and her daughter ended up together safely!

Today our magic jeep arrives in a place where a bat is going on a journey to visit his father-in-law, but he needs help to carry all of his things. The mother sheep agrees to let her young lamb journey with the bat, but the bat isn't too kind to his young companion. The mother lamb seeks the advice of the tortoise, and the tortoise decides to teach the bat a lesson he'll never forget.

Today our magic jeep journeys to a magical field! We'll meet a new friend, Farmer Mybrow, who runs into a group of woodland fairies. As Mybrow sets off to work, his new fairy pals are more than eager to help out. But what happens when Mybrow's daughter goes against her father's warnings? Join Miss Jo Jo to find out!

Today our magic jeep brings us to a town near the Zambezi River, where we meet the mighty hero, Makoma! On his journey, Makoma befriends a friendly giant and flame-spirit who lend him their powers. But when he's captured by the fearsome Mau-giri, will those powers be enough to escape? Join Miss Jo Jo to find out!