A Child and His Father Dagbani Folktale

This is part of a collection of folktales in Dagaare, Dagbani and Kusaal, three Mabia-speaking languages, from rural communities in Northern, Upper East and West Regions of Ghana. The folktales were collected by the researchers in a month-long ethnographic study that explored the cultural philosophies of the people using their oral narratives, including discussions with community members. The narratives provide valuable insights into local perspectives on gender related issues, highlighting both the persistence of inequality and the potential for social transformation. They underscore the importance of empowering marginalized groups, while encouraging broader community awareness of the need to treat everyone with respect and dignity, including persons with disabilities. These narratives reflect communal values, norms, and practices, and reveal deeply embedded gendered meanings and ideologies, often with unintended implications. While dominant representations reinforce gender inequalities, the moral frameworks embedded within sometimes depict consequences for injustices and emphasize the need to protect, respect, and treat everyone with dignity, including persons with disabilities. The folktales in this collection were shared by community members as part of a research project titled Sustainable gender equality, diversity and social inclusion through oral narratives in Mabia cultures of Ghana, with funding from (S-GEDS) funded by OeAD GmbH – Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation and carried out by Prof. Hasiyatu Abubakari (PI), University of Ghana, Dr. Alexander Angsongna (Co-PI), University of Vienna, Dr. Rahaina Tahiru (Co-PI), University for Development Studies and Univ. Prof. Dr. Adams Bodomo (Project Mentor), University of Vienna