Dr. Raouf Mama

Raouf Mama is a collector and translator of traditional stories from Benin told in the Fon language, learning many of these from his family in West Africa. Following in their footsteps, he is a skilled storyteller in an authentic sense (not just a performer), as well as an author, poet, and assistant professor at Eastern Connecticut State University. The tales he tells often provide cultural lessons about bad and good behavior, respect for elders, and spiritual beliefs. Raouf shows how stories such as "When the River Becomes a Big Hole" is a variant on "Little Red Riding Hood," both using the motif of the clever young woman who escapes being eaten by a wolf in disguise. He is interested in West African stories which can also be found in the Caribbean and America, brought by people from the Kingdom of Dahomey (present day Benin) during the days of slave trading.