FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 22, 2009
CONTACT: Sharon Myers, Media Relations 585.567.9559

From East Africa to Buffalo, Houghton College Professor Publishes Traditional African Stories With A Buffalo Influence

HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The traditional stories told by families in Tanzania, East Africa, and among Somali Bantu families who have moved from Somalia and now live in Buffalo, New York have been brought to life via the publication of Houghton Professor Daniel Woolsey’s Under the Story Tree: Folktales from East Africa.

The collection of five stories was recorded by Dr. Daniel Woolsey, professor of education, during the summer and fall of 2007 in Tanzania towns, as well as in the facilities of Hope Refugee Services located in Buffalo, New York. Early in 2008 the written stories were visually enhanced by four adolescents who contributed their painting artwork – Habiba Noor, Safiya Osman, and Yonis Osman who are part of the Somali Bantu community and Gbokolo Sambola from Liberia – all now living on the West Side of Buffalo. These art club sessions were held under the direction of Cornelia Dohse-Peck, a German-born visual artist who resides in the West Side of Buffalo where she also works for Westside Ministries-Housing. She was assisted by Katie McClain-Meeder, director of youth services for Hope Refugee Services. The artwork was then photographed by Christie Spear and Ian Galloway, and brought together with the text under the skillful hand of David Huth, assistant professor of visual communication and media arts at Houghton College.

 The stories are rooted in the cultural heritage of the Somali Bantu people and of various language groups in central Tanzania – significant because many of these stories originated in tribes where a written form of the mother tongue has only recently been developed. Thus, this story collection can help to celebrate and preserve the cultural heritage and values of these people.

 “In a way these stories belong to all of us. Since the beginning of time people all over the world have told stories as a way to make sense of their experiences and to share ideas with others. I wanted to present and preserve these stories and to provide affirmation for the African refugees and immigrants living in this country, while also providing connections with their culture of origin which I think is very important for refugee families that have unsettled lives,” said Woolsey.

Dr. Woolsey is a professor of 19 years at Houghton who was born and spent his formative first eleven years of life in Sierra Leone, West Africa. As an elementary teacher and then as a student and professor of children’s literature for over twenty-five years, he has had a deep and lasting interest in exploring the roles of oral literature and traditional stories in the literary experiences of children around the world.