Hajeetek Majeetek: My Grandmother's North African Folktales

"Hajeetek Majeetek"- these are the famous words that have echoed from the lips of North African storytellers for centuries to begin reciting folktales.

Moroccan-American author Sara Filali begins her debut collection with these words, as she translates folktales of the greatest storyteller she knows: Zohra Zaoui, her mother's mother. Born and raised in the Rif mountains of Morocco, Zaoui absorbed the mesmerizing storytelling techniques of her elders and passed on her tales to her children and grandchildren. These epic folktales reflect the beating heart and culture of its people. Woven with ghouls and magic, love and adventure, deception and prayers, Filali has transcribed and translated these stories in honor of her grandmother, a village woman who never learned to read or write, so that this folktale legacy can reach people all over the world.

In doing so, we begin the epic adventure. Hajeetek Majeetek!