VIA PRESS RELEASE | Born July 18, 1918, Nelson Mandela remains a shining icon 100 years later; tributes to this great man and his contributions are planned by world leaders throughout 2018. This vinyl pressing includes stories read by Don Cheadle, Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L Jackson, and Alan Rickman, with music by Vusi Mahlasela.
Winner of the 2010 Audie for Audiobook of the Year, Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales is an extraordinary audiobook featuring the voice talents of LeVar Burton, Gillian Anderson, Benjamin Bratt, Ricardo Chavira, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Hayes, Hugh Jackman, Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Debra Messing, Helen Mirren, Parminder Nagra, Sophie Okonedo, CCH Pounder, Alan Rickman, Jurnee Smollett, Charlize Theron, Blair Underwood, Forest Whitaker, and Alfre Woodard with a special message from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and original music by South African legends by Johnny Clegg and Vusi Mahlasela, directed by Alfre Woodard.
The audiobook was a truly international affair recorded in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, London, and Johannesburg. The stories were chosen by the Nobel Laureate himself, from every region of Africa. “We hope this audiobook will be enjoyed by people of all ages across the globe, increasing awareness of Africa’s rich cultures while creating a better future for South Africa’s most vulnerable children,” said ANSA Executive Director Sharon Gelman.
In his original foreword for the folktales, Nelson Mandela wrote, “It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller may never die in Africa, that all the children of the world may experience the wonder of books.” The audiobook brings his vision full circle, as these timeless tales return to the oral tradition to be heard around the world.
