Includes bibliographical references.

"Yoruba Trickster Tales comes out of the tradition of evening storytelling, a popular form of entertainment in traditional African societies. A favorite genre among these folktales is the trickster tale, variations of which are found in many cultures around the world. Among the Yoruba of West Africa (mostly in western Nigeria but also in neighboring Bénin), the trickster character is Àjàpá, the tortoise." "In this volume Oyekan Owomoyela offers a representative gathering of twenty-three Yoruba trickster tales. Àjàpá is notable for his strikingly human habits, abilities, weaknesses, moods, and disposition. In the course of the stories, we discover various sides of Àjàpá's character. He is mischievous, cunning, lazy, tight-fisted, greedy, and, alternately, highly intelligent and preposterously gullible. As we read through these entertaining stories, we gain a many-sided view of this fascinating character and the spirited world in which he lives."--Jacket.

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