“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl who had a secret: Her teeth were in her armpits, not her mouth.”
So begins a beautiful fable from Togo – told aloud by one of 25 storytellers from Africa who are sharing their recorded childhood tales with little ones who attend childcare centers in Lincoln, Nebraska through the Lincoln Littles “Stories from Africa” project.
This project is taking children around the world through the power of stories, according to Linda Major, emeritus assistant to the vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“For centuries, stories have been a powerful way to share the rich history and cultures of humanity passed on through the oral tradition, songs, dances and books,” Major said.
Aiming to create an online repository of stories to share with young children, the project is a partnership between the Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership in Civic Engagement Institute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Lincoln Littles, a group supporting and advocating for high-quality early childhood education in the Lincoln community.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. State Department’s Young African Leaders Initiative. Since 2014, more than 5,000 young leaders from across 49 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have developed their leadership skills and fostered connections and collaboration with U.S. professionals through the Fellowship.
For six weeks this summer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln virtually engaged with 25 young African leaders from 17 countries. As part of the Leadership Institute’s community service component, each Fellow recorded childhood stories from their countries for Lincoln Littles providers to show in their classrooms. The stories include:
- How the Tortoise Got Its Cracked Shell, from Nigeria
- The Boy Who Dreamed of Becoming a King, from Guinea
- Why the Sky is Up Very High, from Zambia
“I think it’s a marvelous way to expose Lincoln’s children to countries different than their own,” Major said. “I hope it inspires curiosity to learn more about another part of the world and its people, places and customs.”
“It’s a wonderful project,” added Anne Brandt, executive director of Lincoln Littles, an organization that emerged from the Prosper Lincoln agenda facilitated by the Lincoln Community Foundation. “The partnership made sense, creating an amazing resource for childcare providers – with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Click here to visit the storytelling website: Lincoln Littles Stories from Africa.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a sub-grantee of IREX and implemented a Leadership Institute as part of the Fellowship. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, please visit the Fellowship’s website at www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.