Is the Rabbit really cleverer than the Monkey? What is the moral of the story? Like other parts of the world, Mozambique has a rich oral literature of animal fables. Grandmothers still tell them to children, and the children respond in a chorus with the magical word "Karingana!"Is the Rabbit really cleverer than the Monkey? What is the moral of the story? Like other parts of the world, Mozambique has a rich oral literature of animal fables. Grandmothers still tell them to children, and the children respond in a chorus with the magical word "Karingana!"It would be sad if this heritage disappeared entirely in the face of modernization, so teachers are being encouraged to record it, in English and Portuguese, and hopefully later in its original Bantu languages as well. There is no reason why school children should not use materials from their own culture as they learn to read, thus bridging the gap between home and school. I have seen how students come to life and participate when traditional stories are welcomed into the classroom, so this book ends with some suggestions for ways to do this.

For the first time in English, new writers from Mozambique describe what love and relationships can be like in their culture. What happens to Makalanjombo, whose name means "unlucky in love"?For the first time in English, new writers from Mozambique describe what love and relationships can be like in their culture. What happens to Makalanjombo, whose name means "unlucky in love"? Matusse insults his mother-in-law . . . Chicambanyane goes to work in South Africa . . . Rungo falls in love with one of his own students . . . Randziwane ends up with two wives . . . Mozambique is a Portuguese-speaking country, crash-landing into the modern world. These stories come from real life, and were written in English to reach a wider audience. They explore how the old and the new co-exist in a modern African country. "True Stories" is the first in a series by the group "Mozambican Writers." More to come!

Who can express their own feelings about love, death, hope, despair, all the big questions? Can a man imagine the deepest feelings of a woman? A young person those of an old person? These new poets from Mozambique are trying to do this, in a language which is not their mother tongue.Who can express their own feelings about love, death, hope, despair, all the big questions? Can a man imagine the deepest feelings of a woman? A young person those of an old person? These new poets from Mozambique are trying to do this, in a language which is not their mother tongue.The official language of Mozambique is Portuguese, but many people have Xitswa, Changana, Gitonga, Cicopi, or another language as their first language at home. Maybe one day the rich oral literature of these languages will be written down, but to be heard on the world stage new African writers are more-or-less compelled to use English. Here nine poets are discovering their own voice and their own style, with striking originality. They have chosen the title "A Seed," in the hope that it may one day grow into a flower, a tree, or even a whole forest!