Bantu Folk-Tales and Poems

Bantu Folk-Tales and Poems is a collection by Solomon Tshekiso Plaatje, a linguist, journalist, and writer from South Africa. Published later in his life, this work aimed to preserve traditional Bantu languages, stories, and poetry. Plaatje, fluent in Tswana and English, also learned several other languages, which he used in his diverse career as a war correspondent, editor, and political activist. The collection is part of his broader efforts to document and share the rich oral traditions of Bantu cultures, alongside his other linguistic and literary works, including proverbs and translations of Shakespeare. Folktales are a universal genre of oral literature, often featuring humans, animals, or mythical beings, and are typically intended for children, though some may be directed at adolescents or adults.12