I remember the first time I saw this deck in the US Games catalog (when it was new) and thinking it looked kind of strange and somehow silly.  But I couldn't get it out of my mind, and four years later it was still something I wanted.  Every time I saw it in the catalog I felt compelled towards it.  When I finally got a copy, I felt an excitement and anticipation even before opening it.  I'm pleased to say, it did not let me down.

The subtitle for this deck is "Journey Into the Self."  These cards take the point of view that tarot is a guide on the path towards self-knowledge.  Being that this is a point of view with which I agree strongly, I was even more inclined towards liking it.  The packaging of the deck is unorthodox as well.  Instead of being packaged in your usual box style, this deck comes in a lift-off lid style where the lid is formed out of a corrugated cardboard with the ridgies side out.  This gives it a texture and a sense of being environmentally friendly (the impression is that it is recycled) with cards glued on the front and back for labeling.  This makes for a much more sturdy box to begin with, one that you could easily use for years while reading with the deck on a regular basis.

 The art style used in the deck is a naive, childlike one which is reminiscent of children's fingerpaintings.  Quite a few decks have been published with a similar artistic nature (the Motherpeace is the one that comes most strongly to mind here) but in this case the art is charming and feels, at least to me, as if it returns the user to memories of their youth.  This is what was intended and as far as I am concerned, it was successful.  The art features people of African culture; however, I genuinely felt as though I was included and not excluded from its imagery.  One of the chief complaints about many tarot decks is how "white" they are, and that they are not multi-cultural; the offshoot of this is that many of the tarot decks out there which set out to correct this just end up focusing on a different culture and are equally exclusive.  Many Native American decks fall into this category.  However, in looking at the African tarot, I felt taken back to a time when racial differences did not exist or were not an issue.  Interestingly, the creators of this deck are from South Africa, and this deck was released right after the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as President.  It is definitely geared towards healing the racial rift.

The titles in the Major Arcana essentially follow the Rider-Waite tradition and so does the imagery to a great extent.  They are not just the same pictures redrawn in a different style, but they convey almost identical feelings, meanings and issues.  You can get a good feel of what the card is about just from looking at them.  Each card features a white text box beneath the image.  The title is presented in English in a carefree, childlike font that really fits the style of the deck well.  Roman numerals for the cards are incorporated into the images.  Strength is 8 and Justice 11 according to the Rider-Waite style.

In the Minor Arcana the suits used are Cups, Wands, Swords and Pentacles.  Here, as in the Majors, you can see a great influence from the Rider-Waite tradition.  The Aces are very close to being redraws of the Pamela Colman Smith designs.  Numbered cards, too, are very close in symbolism and design.  They feature full scenes which are recognizably Rider-Waite in influence.  The court titles used are King, Queen, Knight and Page.  This will make use of this deck very easy for anyone who has learned on a Rider-Waite deck.

The cards themselves are really small and comfortable.  I believe they are about the size of my Pocket Rider-Waite, or perhaps even a little smaller!  They are printed on a thin, flexible cardstock which has a slippery glossy coating on them; this breaks in nicely.  The edges and corners are nice and smooth.  The deck handles and shuffles easily.  The back design is white with two smaller images on it; they are the same from each end, which makes the back reversible.  The little white booklet which comes with this deck is a very nice little one and more substantial than many.  It contains excellent information.

I highly recommend this deck to anyone who is looking for a multicultural deck.  One of the most wonderful things about it is its accessibility for children.  While it has not specifically been designed as such, its small size, bright colorful imagery and simple happy style make it an excellent choice for reading with children or working with them.  A therapist or psychologist working with children might find it a very good tool in counseling for this reason.  Anyone can use it, however, and it will also make an attractive and interesting addition to any collection.  It's not expensive, easy to find and will be useable with any tarot book written for use with a Rider-Waite deck.  Enjoy!

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Review Copyright 2000 by Gina M. Pace

African Tarot Deck by Marina Romito and Denese Palm, 1995-7
published by U.S. Games, Inc.
ISBN 1-57281-020-3