The Tale of Mkeke
by
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When they got to the village, all the people were in the middle of the village. The evil Gimli said, “Okay gather round now! Come, hear me magical drum sing.” Well there was a wise old woman in that village. She took one look at that Gimli. She knew he was bad. She said, “He don’t have no magical drum, he’s crazy.” The Gimli looked at the woman and said, “Yes I do! All you have to do is give me some gold, some food and one diamond, and I’ll make me drum sing.” The old woman looked at him. She said “Humph,” and she went back into her house. But the rest of the people, they wanted to hear the magical drum. They said “Okay, make the drum sing. We’ll give you what you want.” The Gimli said, “Fine then, stand back while I say me magical words.” Bubaling, bubaling, bubaling, BUOOP!”
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About the Book
In the tradition of African Griots, Sundiata presents a moving dramatic tale of Mkeke, a little girl who loves to sing. She is kidnapped by an evil Gimli who traps her in a drum. He travels from village to village getting food and treasures from the people who want to hear his magical singing drum. When her father finds out that his daughter has been captured by the evil Gimli, he faces him in a desperate battle to rescue her. The story is a rendition of an old African tale that has been presented in many versions. This version was inspired by Sundiata’s daughter, Danielle Hendrix.
About the Author
Sundiata, the Tale Weaver is a filmmaker, multitalented griot (storyteller), author, musician, martial artist, and public school educator. He is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, where he majored in mass media arts and was involved in music production with the S.O.L.A.R. Panel. He also helped produce a long-running radio show in Atlanta called, “The Panther Power Hour.” Sundiata is CEO of Vortex Tales, a creative media company. He made his public debut as a film director in 2012 with the release of A Touch of Love: Black History 2012, in conjunction with Origin Nile Films. He is the author of numerous children’s stories featuring some modified versions of classic folktales. These titles include The Tale of Mkeke*, The Roach in Clothes*, They Call Him Bigg-O, The Bully*, The Bag Lady*, The Hairyman*, Three Billygoats Gruffneck*, The Three Bears Rhyme*, and Johnny Come Lately. (*These are books with audio.) Sundiata heads Bagman Productions with Squally Darx as chief producer. Bagman Productions is a satellite music production company that produced the background music for all of Vortex Tales audio tales including The Tale of Mkeke, numerous songs, movie soundtracks, and hip-hop LPs. Sundiata is also a partner of a multimedia company based in Los Angeles known as Street Pressure. Sundiata grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the greater Boston area. He has worked with children in Boston’s inner-city community centers. Currently, he works in Atlanta Public Schools and has established a martial arts self-defense company called Defend the Temple.