Review by Osunyemi

Clyde W. Ford

As a personal anecdote, I was inspired by this book to such an extent that I emailed the author. Mr. Ford later emailed me back, thanking me for my enthusiasm and asked me to write a review of his book for Amazon.com, which I proudly obliged.

This book was profoundly moving to me because it was one of the first works I read which documented the mythology of Africa and clearly demonstrated that it was equal to all the world’s great myths, blowing apart my ignorance to the contrary.

Joseph Campbell, the awesome scholar of world myths fell victim to racism and another myth, namely the myth of African inferiority; thus dismissing African myths and teaching stories as so much mumbo jumbo. Undoubtedly, not realizing how he poured salt into the ever festering wound and lie of African inferiority.

Clark, being as offended as most African scholars would have been at this slight by Campbell, found incontestable evidence that the myths and archetypes are universal, yes in Africa, too. Yes they wear African clothing and have black skins, but they echo all of the same spiritual, emotional aspirations of humans all over the planet, and they have not forgotten those who came before them!

The Hero with an African Face: Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa