Are stories what make us human? Netflix and UNESCO have brought six African traditional folktales to the small screen. But some think we should look forward, not backward.
New life for African folktales on Netflix
Are stories what make us human? Netflix and UNESCO have brought six African traditional folktales to the small screen. But some think we should look forward, not backward.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead"><strong>Long story short</strong></h2>
A 13-year old fights to protect his siblings from a monster. A girl sets out to end a drought. A betrayed mother seeks revenge.
These are some of the stories told in African Folktales, Reimagined, a new series on Netflix. Created with UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. It aims to promote international cooperation in the arts, education, science and culture. , the show turns traditional stories from across the continent into 30-minute films.
Each uses an old tale to explore modern day issues. But the series also aims to keep folktales alive. Folktales everywhere are threatened with extinction. A 2017 survey in the UK found that two-thirds of parents have no intention to pass down stories to their children.
The loss is even greater in Africa. During the colonialWhen a region or country is controlled politically by another. period, colonisers banned many African languages and stories. This disconnected peoples from their own culture and heritage.
Folk stories reopen a link to this past. South African film-maker Gcobisa Yako says: "All these platforms exist now and we need to utilise them to preserve these stories."
Many believe folktales are a key part of our identity as humans. It's all in the name - folk tales are "stories of the people". The tales a society tells reveal its hopes and fears, values and taboosThings that are forbidden due to social rules of behaviour..
Humans have always told stories. Cave people even painted stories on their stone walls. As historian Yuval Noah Harari says: "Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of the world by telling stories."
Yet some think such stories belong in the past. Human society has changed hugely. It is a tall order to expect the stories of our ancestors to have something to say to us. We need to make new tales to suit our time.
And stories can easily be used for evil. Rulers create myths about their lives. Donald Trump told a fake story about a stolen election.
Yes: We are obsessed with stories, from folktales to television dramas. And we cannot stop creating them, whether through spreading rumours, telling amusing sketches or posting videos on TikTok.
No: We use stories to make sense of our humanity. They help us to pass down ideas, interpret the world and come together. But they are a tool. They do not make us human, anymore than other tools do.
Or... Stories have become so tied up with our lives that it is almost impossible to imagine life without them. We would have to develop an entirely new way of seeing the world. But perhaps we should try.
UNESCO - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. It aims to promote international cooperation in the arts, education, science and culture.
Colonial - When a region or country is controlled politically by another.
Taboos - Things that are forbidden due to social rules of behaviour.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Are stories what make us human? </strong></h5>
New life for African folktales on Netflix

Glossary
UNESCO - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. It aims to promote international cooperation in the arts, education, science and culture.
Colonial - When a region or country is controlled politically by another.
Taboos - Things that are forbidden due to social rules of behaviour.