African Folktales as Indigenous Intelligence: A Metaphor for Demystifying Global Investment Fraud.

The article examines African folktales as a form of indigenous intelligence capable of demystifying global investment fraud, particularly Ponzi schemes prevalent in South Africa and across the African continent. Using a new historicist and metaphorical analysis of Femi Osofisan’s play *Love’s Unlike Lading: A Comedy from Shakespeare*—an adaptation of Shakespeare’s *The Merchant of Venice*—the study highlights how indigenous knowledge embedded in folklore, proverbs, and oral literature provides cognitive tools to recognize and resist financial scams. It argues that modern financial literacy alone is insufficient to protect investors, advocating for the integration of African indigenous knowledge and folktales into educational curricula, especially in business schools, to equip individuals with the intelligence needed to navigate and avoid fraudulent investment schemes. The research underscores the cultural and pedagogical value of African oral traditions as a moral guide and practical resource against contemporary economic intrigues.