African folktales and Anansesem stories to read online
Stories rooted in the folklore of West Africa and its diaspora: trickster tales in the Anansesem tradition, river spirits, forest things that should have stayed forgotten. These are original retellings written by African and diaspora authors, published chapter by chapter on GoldenPalm Novels, not transcriptions of traditional tales.
Every chapter below is free and reads in your browser. Follow a story to be notified when its next chapter goes up, or browse the full catalogue to filter by genre and culture.
Folklore and mythology retellings
More African stories readers of folktales pick up
Fantasy, supernatural and adventure serials with the same storyteller's pull.
African storytelling traditions, and how they show up here
- Where can I read African folktales online?
- GoldenPalm Novels publishes original fiction rooted in Anansesem and West African folklore, readable chapter by chapter in your browser. The stories above are free, with no app or download.
- Are these the original traditional folktales?
- No. Every story on this page is new fiction written by the author who publishes it. They draw on the Anansesem storytelling tradition and African folklore for their roots, but they are original tales rather than transcriptions of traditional ones.
- What is Anansesem?
- Anansesem is the Akan storytelling tradition of Ghana, built around Ananse the spider, a trickster whose tales explain, warn and entertain. The word is also used for the stories themselves, and it survives today in Caribbean storytelling brought over by enslaved Africans.
- Are the stories finished, or still being written?
- Both. Each story is labelled ongoing or completed. Ongoing serials add chapters as their authors publish them, and you can follow a story to be notified when the next chapter goes up.
- Who writes these stories?
- Independent African and diaspora writers publish directly on GoldenPalm Novels. Every story page links to its author's profile and the rest of their work.