This is a rare treat, a collection of folktales and fables from South Sudan - the newest country in the world. These stories will be most familiar amongst the Dinka, one of the country's many ethnicities, but they are also known in other parts of the country. While South Sudan's many groups vary in language and culture, they share a history of orality: the oral tradition of sharing stories verbally and retelling them through many generations. But times are changing rapidly and there is a risk that these stories will be lost unless they are written down and David Aoloch Bion has done just that. The stories he presents here speak of universal themes: marriage, lying and gluttony, bravery, cheating and deception. Clever and entertaining, with animal characters that often morph into humans and back again, Folktales from South Sudan will be a delightful read, for those who are familiar with these stories and those who are not.
