Story-telling is an essential part of the African culture and one of the greatest characters of folk myths is the trickster Ananse. He is the spider-man, the bald-headed Tortoise or the Hare; perhaps an ancestor of Br'er Rabbit. These tales from West Africa recount various stories, including how Ananse got his thin waist, how Hare was tricked by Wind, and how Monkey tricked Shark without losing his heart.