The Hero with an African Face

In this remarkable book, Clyde Ford restores to us the lost treasure of African mythology, bringing to life the ancient tales and showing why they matter so much to us today. African myths convey the perennial wisdom of humanity: the creation of the world, the hero's journey, our relationship with nature, death, and resurrection. From the Ashanti comes the moving account of the grief-stricken Kwasi Benefo's journey to the underworld to seek his beloved wives. From Uganda we learn of the legendary Kintu, who won the love of a goddess and created a nation from a handful of isolated clans. The Congo's epic hero Mwindo is the sacred warrior who shows us the path each person must travel to discover his true destiny. These and other important African myths show us the history of African Americans in a new light--as a hero's journey, a courageous passage to a hard-won victory. The Hero with an African Faceenriches us all by restoring this vital tradition to the world.

Clyde W. Ford is a doctor of chiropractic medicine, a leader in somatic psychology, and a scholar who has taught Swahili at Columbia University and African American history at Western Washington University.  He has also traveled widely in Africa.  He is the author of three previous books: <b>Where Healing Waters Meet: Touching Mind and Emotion Through the Body</b>; <b>Compassionate Touch: The Body's Role in Healing and Recovery</b>; and <b>We Can All Get Along: 50 Steps You Can Take to Help End Racism</b>.  He currently lives in Bellingham, Washington.