African Stories by Moonlight

By Celestine E. Ebegbulem

Introduction to African Stories by Moonlight.

The most memorable evenings I had as a child were those in which, together with other children, I listened to adults tell us stories which were often accompanied with rhythmic and delightful songs. When I started raising my own family in the city, my children looked forward to those nights when we would regale them with those stories and songs. I noticed then that many urban children were not exposed to these stories, as they were no longer in the environment in which they were told.

It was after I did some studies on Indigenous African Education as a Visiting Scholar in the African Studies Center at UCLA, that I realized the molding influence of these stories on our character. Storytelling, of course, was a basic ingredient for traditional African education. I have therefore decided to share some of these stories with those children of African descent who are now away from the environment where they are told. Children and adults of other cultures will enjoy these stories, and learn from the wisdom embedded in them. The enthusiastic reception given to them by the multicultural classes to which I read them in the Long Beach Unified School District in California, further encouraged me to seek to publish them.

I have written ten short stories in a language suitable for school readers, and a wider audience. If these stories help to revive storytelling in homes and communities, one objective for writing this book shall have been achieved. For the benefit of teachers who want to use the book to teach English, social studies, or multicultural studies, and for the benefit of families who would like to use the book for entertainment and learning, comprehension questions and answers have been prepared on each of the stories. These are available from [e-mail]

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 7, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491835227

Celestine E. Ebegbulem

Dr. Celestine Ebiringa Ebegbulem was born in Ahiara Mbaise, Nigeria, where he attended primary schools. He had his secondary education at Holy Ghost College, Owerri, and attended Christ the King College, Onitsha, for the Higher School Certificate. He then proceeded to Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone for a combined degree from the University of Durham, England, in mathematics and physics. He was appointed as education officer (science) in Eastern Nigeria and later posted to teach at the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri. Shortly after, under a USAID scholarship, he studied for an MA in education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He returned to teach at the Alvan Ikoku College and was sent under UNESCO sponsorship to study for his PhD at the University of Western Australia in Perth. Dr. Ebegbulem returned to Nigeria to hold various positions in the Imo State civil service: chief registrar in charge of examinations, state director of education, and director general/permanent secretary of secondary education. He was also a fellow at the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), Paris, and a member of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). On retirement from the Imo State government, he returned to UCLA as a visiting scholar. He thereafter taught as an adjunct in universities in California, and in schools in the County of Los Angeles. Dr. Ebegbulem’s published poems have received awards. He is a 2007 poet fellow at Noble House, London, England. He now resides in Los Angeles and can be reached at [e-mail].

Book preview

© 2014 Celestine E. Ebegbulem. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/05/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-3521-0 (sc)

978-1-4918-3522-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013921073

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery @ Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Mother Is Sacred

The Consoling Hen

Patience

The Greedy Tortoise

The Farmer’s Daughter

Why the Tortoise Has a Jointed Shell

The Boy and His Kongo

The Wicked Stepmother

The Lamb and the Lioness

Ulu and Ume

Dedicated to the ever-loving memory of

Keyna Obioma Ebegbulem (nee Ewendu)

who used these stories to help bring up our children.

Acknowledgments

I want to thank my loving wife, Lady Cyrina Ebegbulem (nee Nwogugu), without whose encouragement and support this book would not have been published. I would also like to thank my children: Precious, Ijeoma, Chijioke, Ogechi, Ugomma, Kelechi, Towechi, Chukwunyere—as well as Chigozie Ewendu, who, when he stayed with us, listened to these stories and sang the lyrics with relish. Special mention must be made of my brother-in-law Hyginus Ewendu and his wife Stella, who, whenever they slept over, contributed to these stories and enriched the songs with their melodious voices. I want to give special thanks to my son Chijioke and his wife Adaeze (nee Agbasiere) (who I call Ugom) for their encouragement and support in producing this book. Special thanks also go to Ugomma and Tony Ekeanyanwu for coordinating the drawings by Ijeoma in Toronto, Canada. Last but not least, I wish to thank Ijeoma Nzekwe ([e-mail]) for the imaginative drawings accompanying the stories.

Introduction

My most memorable evenings as a child were those during which, together with other children, I listened to adults tell us stories that were often accompanied by rhythmic and delightful songs. When I started raising my own family in the city, my children looked forward to the nights when we would regale them with those stories and songs. I noticed then that many urban children were not exposed to these stories, as they were no longer in the environment in which the stories were told.

After I did some studies on indigenous African education as a visiting scholar in the African Studies Center at UCLA, I understood the molding influence of these stories on our character. Storytelling, of course, was a basic ingredient for traditional African education. I have therefore decided to share some of these stories with those children of African descent who are now