"Discovering a deeply meaningful African myth is like finding an old snapshot of myself in a place long forgotten.... These myths are more than just folk tales or fables.... Here are epics as grand as Gilgamesh, heroes as hardy as Hercules, heroines as vexing as Venus." And yet, as Clyde Ford discovered, the great myths of Africa were left out of the key works of modern mythology, missing from the sacred stories of world culture. Taking it as his mission to reclaim this lost treasure, he has written a fascinating and important book--one that both brings to life the ancient tales and shows why they matter so much to us today.

African myths convey the perennial wisdom of humanity: the creation of the world, the hero's journey, our relationship with nature, death, and resurrection. From the Ashanti comes the moving account of the grief-stricken Kwasi Benefo's journey to the underworld to seek his beloved wives. From Uganda we learn of the legendary Kintu, who won the love of a goddess and created a nation from a handful of isolated clans. The Congo's epic hero Mwindo is the sacred warrior who shows us the path each person must travel to discover his true destiny. Many myths reveal the intimacy of human and animal spirits, and Ford also explores the archetypal forces of the orishas--the West African deities that were carried to the Americas in the African diaspora.

Ultimately, as Clyde Ford points out, these great myths enable us to see the history of African Americans in a new light--as a hero's journey, a courageous passage to a hard-won victory. The Hero with an African Face enriches us all by restoring this vital tradition to the world.

As a chiropractor, a psychotherapist, and a professor of Swahili (Columbia U.) and African-American history (Western Washington U.), Ford found that personal healing began when the expression of suffering changed from stories of victimization to myths of empowerment, and thought the healing of the African-American community as a whole might take the same route. He recounts his pilgrimage through Africa and the tales he returned with.
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Advance Praise for The Hero with an African Face:

"This fascinating exploration of African stories and myths informs and inspires us. And most importantly it tells us who we are as human beings--all of us."
--Cornel West, author of Race Matters

"The Hero with an African Face is a breakthrough book on the mythic imagination of Africa. Clyde Ford picks up where Joseph Campbell left off and takes us into the wonder and mystery of the African traditions. A master storyteller, he skillfully evokes the mythic vision, weaving personal reflections on the seeker's journey with interpretations of enchanting stories from the many voices south of the Sahara."
--Jonathan Young, Ph.D., founding curator, Joseph Campbell Archives and Library

"The Hero with an African Face presents the compelling wisdom of African traditions, which is relevant to everyone living in the modern world. Through this book the deep well of sacred mythic knowledge left to us by these 'first peoples' can assume its nature and rightful place in the pantheon of world mythologies. Clyde Ford has given us an extraordinary gift."
--Michael Toms, co-founder of New Dimensions Radio, author of An Open Life: Joseph Campbell in Conversations with Michael Toms, and co-author of True Work: The Sacred Dimension of Earning a Living

"Though the contribution of Africa to world mythology is monumental, African mythology has yet to gain the honor and admiration given to other mythologies in the West. Clyde Ford is destined to change this. The Hero with an African Face resurrects the sacred wisdom of traditional Africa. This book should be read with reverence and respect."
--Malidoma Somé, author of Of Water and the Spirit

Clyde W. Ford is a doctor of chiropractic medicine, a leader in somatic psychology, and a scholar who has taught Swahili at Columbia University and African American history at Western Washington University. He has also traveled widely in Africa. He is the author of three previous books: Where Healing Waters Meet: Touching Mind and Emotion Through the Body; Compassionate Touch: The Body's Role in Healing and Recovery; and We Can All Get Along: 50 Steps You Can Take to Help End Racism. He currently lives in Bellingham, Washington.