In an effort to share traditional African folklore with as wide an audience as possible, Mandela picked out 32 folk tales, old and new, drawn from various African cultures, all rich in what Mandela calls "the gritty essence of Africa." In terms of a contemporary African map, these stories are drawn from countries as distant as Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, and Swaziland. They include various creation myths and tales containing morals for children and adults alike. Mandela writes in the foreword, "It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller will never die in Africa."
