African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

We give special thanks to our Advisory Board members Dan Ben-Amos, Daniel
Crowley, Gerald Davis, Ruth Finnegan, Rachel Fretz, Micheline Galley, Veronika
Görög-Karady, Lee Haring, Harold Schueb, and Ruth Stone.
Creating an encyclopedia is an exhilarating yet exasperating project that involves
many people. We have first acknowledged those teachers who originally guided us and
those colleagues who aided us in the current endeavor. In a very real sense, we thank all
of our contributors not only for their excellent entries but for their support and patience as
we developed the project. Several colleagues, notably Frances Harding and David
Samper, led us to other contributors. We must next acknowledge those colleagues who
tragically passed away during the course of this project: Kofi Agovi, T.K.Biaya, Daniel
Crowley, and Gerald Davis.
Over the years, many students from Drew University aided with manuscript
preparation. Our sincere thanks to Jennifer Joyce for preparing most of the country
entries. We must also acknowledge those who toiled with manuscript in various states of
repair: Katie Boswell, Megan McBride, Tara Ondra, Janet Wong, Sandra Yoshida, and
Andrea Zaia. Another area of critical aid was that of translation—sincere thanks to
Kristine Aurbakken and Jerry Vogel.
We also thank the many editors who encouraged us over the years, first with Garland,
then with Routledge Reference. Most especially we thank those who helped us complete
this project: Laura Smid, Kate Aker, Kristen Holt, Mary Funchion, and Jeanne Shu.
Much needed time and facilities for final manuscript preparation were provided by a
fellowship at the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the
Americas, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England. Sincerest thanks as well to those
who provided shelter during the final stages: Lee and Sylvia Pollock, Beverly Ben-Salem,
the Folklore and Folklife Department at the University of Pennsylvania, and the
University of Ghana.
And, as always, our appreciation for our long-suffering spouses, Pat and Victoria,
must be acknowledged.
PHILIP M.PEEK AND KWESI YANKAH
References
Coplan, David B.1994. In the Time of Cannibals: The Word Music of South Africa’s Basotho
Migrants. Johannesburg: Witwaterstand University Press.
Haring, Lee, ed. 1994. African Oral Traditions. Oral Tradition (special issue), 9:1.
Kaschula, Russell. 2001. African Oral Literature: Functions in Contemporary Contexts.
Claremont, South Africa: New Africa Books.
Peek, Philip M. 1981. The Power of Words in African Verbal Arts. Journal of American Folklore
94: 371.
Peek, Philip M. 1994. The Sounds of Silence: Cross-World Communication and the Auditory Arts
in African Societies. American Ethnologist 21: 3.
Peek, Philip M. 2000. Re-Sounding Silences. In Sound, ed. P.Kruth and H.Stobart. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Yankah, Kwesi. 1986. Beyond the Spoken Word: Aural Literature in Africa. In Cross Rhythms 2.
ed. Daniel Avorgbedor and Kwesi Yankah. Papers in African Folklore. Bloomington: Trickster
Press.