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Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales is a landmark work that gathers in one volume many of Africa's most cherished folktales. Mandela, a Nobel Laureate for Peace, has selected these thirty-two tales with the specific hope that Africa's oldest stories, as well as a few new ones, be perpetuated by future generations and be appreciated by people throughout the world.

Winner of the prestigious Audie Award for 2010 Best Audiobook of the Year, this audiobook is performed by a diverse group of acclaimed actors and others who donated their time and talents to help South African children orphaned and impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Along with a stellar list of celebrity readers, this recording includes a special message from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, music by Johnny Clegg and Vusi Mahlasela, and creative direction by Alfre Woodard.

The stories include classic morality tales, creation myths, and more, tales that are light and wondrous enough for children while being deep enough for adults. Translated chiefly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries into English and other European languages from their original languages-be they Karanga, Nguni, Xhosa, or others-these folktales are a testament to the craft of storytelling and the power of myth.

Narrators include Gillian Anderson, Benjamin Bratt, LeVar Burton, 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.

The actors, creative director, engineers, graphic designers, attorneys, and recording studios fully donated their services, as did three-time Grammy winner Gavin Lurssen, who mastered the audiobook. Proceeds benefit both the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, a South African organization founded in 1995, and ANSA, which works in the United States and South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS.

Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) won the Novel Peace Prize in 1993 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US President George W. Bush, among many other accolades. He became the first freely elected president of South Africa in 1994. He gained popularity while in prison for being a prominent member of the African National Congress and became a leading figure in the anti-apartheid movement. He authored numerous works, including the New York Times bestseller Conversations with Myself, as well as his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

Forest Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the award-winning television series, The Shield. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. In 1986 he was elected archbishop of Cape Town, the highest position in the Anglican Church in South Africa. In 1994, after the end of apartheid and the election of Nelson Mandela, Tutu was appointed as chair of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate apartheid-era crimes. His policy of forgiveness and reconciliation has become an international example of conflict resolution and a trusted method of postconflict reconstruction. He is currently the chair of the Elders, where he gives vocal defense of human rights and campaigns for the oppressed.

Scarlett Johansson is an actress best known for her work in films like Lost in Translation, The Nanny Diaries, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Avengers, and Hitchcock. She began acting as a child, and her role in the movie The Horse Whisperer brought her critical acclaim at the age of thirteen. Also a singer, Johansson released her first album in 2008 with musician Pete Yorn.