ABSTRACT
T HE lBos, IN COMMON with other West African tribes, have a great fondness for fairy tales. They have a big stock of legends and folklore. The examples recorded below
lack one essential quality; they can only be read, whereas they ought to be heard. On paper, expression and gesture are lost, and these are just the elements that make the stories live. The Ibo is a good story-teller, with a faculty of putting reality into fables. He uses as illustrations animals and birds in such a way that they seem to be endowed with human powers. He can conjure up an atmosphere, and carry his audience with him, and thus provide a thrilling entertainment. Some are good mimics and add to the enjoyment by emulating the sounds of the animals and birds they impersonate. A compilation of fables would provide entertaining reading and a large volume could easily be filled. To quote a few examples.
