The Dog and the Greedy Tortoise (west africa)
There was a famine in the animal kingdom. This famine had lasted so long that any existing source of food had been completely depleted. The animals knew they had to do something real quick or they would all die off one by one. They called a meeting where every animal was in attendance and they determined that they had to do something drastic. It was decided that the mothers would be sacrificed to ensure the continuation of the animal races. They would eat their mothers The dog was extremely sad because he loved his mother. He thought about this action a great deal and decided he was not going to sacrifice his mother. Instead, he hid her in the sky. Everyday, he would go to a particular spot where he sang a song asking his mother to drop a rope. His mother would drop a rope and the dog would climb to the sky where his mother would have a feast waiting for him.
One day, as the dog was singing for his mother to drop the rope, the tortoise was passing by and hid himself to observe what was going on. He heard the song dog was singing, then he saw a rope being dropped from the sky and with which the dog climbed to the sky. The following day, the tortoise went to the same spot and, disguising his voice like the dog’s, he sang the song he had heard the dog sing the day before. A rope dropped from the sky and the tortoise began to climb this rope. At this same time, the dog was just approaching the same spot when he saw the tortoise climbing to the sky. The dog immediately started to sing to his mother. This time, he sang that he was not the one climbing the rope and that his mother should cut the rope. Dog’s mother got a pair of scissors and cut the rope, sending the tortoise crashing to the ground.
This caused tortoise’ shell to break into several pieces. He managed to glue these pieces together, but that was how the tortoise ended up with the rough shell we know today.
The Despising King
Once upon a time, there was a King who ruled the land of Okaigo. The King had a kind heart and his people loved him. The King would seek advice in every matter that required his attention from his Council of Chiefs, despite his age and position. With the advice he received, he was able to rule his people peacefully for many years. One day, the King fell sick and the heir apparent, his eldest son, was told to perform some ritual before the second cockcrow to save his father’s life. The young man agreed, but before sunset, he went to his concubine’s house in the next village and slept till the following morning. He could not perform the ritual and, on his return, he met people crying in the palace. The elders were not happy about what he did, as a result, the elders decided to suspend his coronation and asked him to pay a fine before his father would be buried. He paid the fine and his father was buried. As the heir apparent, he took over his father’s throne, pending when the Council of Chiefs would crown him. The heir apparent began to rule, but he did not take any advice from the Council of Chiefs. Even when the elders deliberately advised him, he would not take it. He was very much unlike his father. He did what was right in his own eyes and not what would benefit the people. One day, the Council of Chiefs decided to crown him as a result of the pressure and threat he put on them through the palace guard. This made the entire town of Okaigo all agog. The elders and people were gathered at the Market Square, which was the usual venue for the final celebration for past Kings.
The chiefs and the family in charge of the coronation went to the palace to dress the King for the coronation. During this period, the King was not expected to take breakfast but dinner after the coronation. But Ologhe, the heir apparent, insisted that he must eat the delicious red melon prepared by his wife. All attempts by the chiefs, elders, wives and friends advising him against eating the food did not succeed. Eventually, he ate the food and a fragment of it hanged on his moustache. It was very visible because the color of the fragment of the melon was red and the King did not know; neither did anybody tell him because he had not taken to previous advice. The King was crowned in the palace, and it was time for him to dance with his family, chiefs, elders and friends who accompanied him to the Market Square for the final celebration. Unknown to him, the fragment of red melon was still conspicuously hanging on his moustache. As the dance progressed, the drummer saw the fragment of the red melon on the King’s moustache and translated it through his talking drum thus:
The King who does not listen to advice,
There is a fragment of red melon in your moustache. The King immediately touched his moustache and the red melon fragment soiled his hand, which made him angry. After the celebration, the King summoned his chiefs, elders, wives and friends. He asked them why they did not tell him that there was a fragment of red melon in his moustache. They all responded with one voice, that because he had never listened to any advice or correction, they could not tell him. The King was sorry for his past disobedience to his people’s advice and he promised to take corrections, suggestions and advice in the future.
“TALK-TALK”
… SHALL BE YOUR PUNISHMENT
Once upon a time, Tortoise owned a pineapple farm by the roadside. The pineapple farm was located beyond a stream and contained orange, mango, pineapple and other fruit trees. Sometimes, the fruit on the trees would ripen and fall. Whenever the pineapples in Tortoise’s farm would ripen, Squirrel and her children would go to the farm to eat every ripe pineapple they could find.
The issue was not that they ate the pineapple, but they would go around the large farm and would take a bite out of every ripe pineapple. As a result, the pineapples became unsellable and unacceptable as gifts. Once any part of a ripe pineapple was eaten, the pineapple would emit a smell that allowed other animals to find it easily. Tortoise noticed this and monitored those responsible. He found that Squirrel and her children were to blame. Tortoise warned them to stop eating his pineapple and even enlisted the help of their neighbors in the matter, but Squirrel did not heed his advice. As the problem got worse, Tortoise became angry and was prepared to fight her in order to keep her away from his farm.
However, whenever Tortoise saw Squirrel on his farm, she was always on top of a palm tree, or some other tree that was impossible for Tortoise to climb. There was no way that Tortoise could engage Squirrel in a fight. Regardless, Tortoise knew that he had to stop Squirrel from eating his pineapples. He concluded that he would ask the local priest to curse anyone eating his pineapple. When Squirrel heard the news, she pleaded with Tortoise. Because of the other people who joined her plea, Tortoise forgave Squirrel. However, he would not spare her from the ‘talk-talk’, meaning that whenever Squirrel and her children passed through the stream, Tortoise would gather his friends and tell them what Squirrel and her children did to him. Squirrel was not happy about this. One day, she reminded Tortoise he had forgiven her. Tortoise would always tell her that, while she was forgiven, she would continue to be the subject of gossip, and that she shouldn’t be annoyed when she heard him gossiping, or doing the ‘talk-talk.’ Each time squirrel and her children were passing by Tortoise’s pineapple farm, they would be tempted to eat the ripe pineapple in the farm. Sometimes, the pineapple would ripen and fall towards the road so that it caught the attention of passersby. Although squirrel and her children passed through that road all the time, they stopped stealing Tortoise’s pineapple, not because they did not want to eat pineapple anymore but because they were afraid of ‘talk-talk,’ which Tortoise used as a deterrent against their wrongdoing.
The Ears Never Get Past the Head
Once upon a time, there lived a family in a village near the large forest. The head of the family is called Tatu (Father) Kabongo. He had a wife called Mamu (Mother) Mianda and they had two sons Tshisuaka (the elder) and Mulumba (the younger). Tatu Kabongo cared so much about his son’s education. He wanted them to learn with courage hunting, fishing, and gathering. In addition, he wanted them to grow up with good morals. He always counseled them whenever they were up to mischief. As time went on, the two children grew up and wanted to become independent.
Therefore, Tshisuaka and Mulumba his brother decided to leave home. Tshisuaka married a beautiful woman called Luena, about 800 km from his village and had children. Mulamba moved to the east near the river where he married Kaja and they also had children. The two boys became responsible men. They worked hard for the survival of their families, and were the envy of other villagers. This made them to become very proud. One day Tatu Kabongo their father got up and went to see his eldest son Tshisuaka. After taking his bag and his gun, he set off and traveled a long distance to get to the village where his eldest son lived. When he got there, he was welcomed with great joy. They prepared a good meal for him and he went to bed and rested. Two months after Tatu Kabongo had been staying with his son, something very shocking happened.
Tshisuaka returned from hunting and when he got home, he found his father sitting under a mango tree. His wife was late in preparing dinner. Suddenly Tshisuaka raised the machete and cut off the head of his wife. Make it stand out
Seized with panic, his father asked him, “Why did you do that?” Tshisuaka looked at his father, and said,”Father do not be afraid, I did not do anything wrong.” A moment after Tshisuaka cut his wife’s head off, he put it back on her neck and the woman was revived, and continued preparing dinner. The next morning the father returned home after seeing the miracle of his first son.
A few days later the father decided to visit his second son. He set off to the village in which his second son Mulumba lived. When Tatu Kabongo arrived at Mulumba’s home, he was received very warmly. The whole family ate and talked excitedly together. The next day, he and Mulumba went fishing. They brought back plenty of fish which they gave to his wife to celebrate the arrival of Tatu Kabongo. After this welcome, while resting, Tatu Kabongo saw his son call his wife and children into his hut and then set the hut on fire. His children, his wife and all his possessions were consumed by fire. His father was very terrified. This reminded him of the events that had occurred in her first son Tshisuaka’s house. Tatu Kabongo, very confused asked his son, “But… what are you doing?” Why did you do such a thing? Mulumba answered his father, saying,”Father there is nothing. Only the flesh is weak, but do not fear.” A few minutes later, the fire died down and surprisingly, the box that was in the fire did not burn! “What magic!” exclaimed Tatu Kabongo as the wife and children came out of the box safe and sound. Tatu Kabongo came to his senses and kept his cool. The next day he returned to his village and did not mention what happened in his son’s house to anyone. But he continued to wonder where his children got their power? A few months after, after much contemplation, he decided to send for his two sons to come and visit him. They decided to honour the invitation and visit their parents since they had not gone back home in a long time. When they arrived, their mother made them a feast like the old days with great joy because she had not seen the children for a long time. Tatu Kabongo who was a great hunter asked his children to go hunting with him. They took shotguns and Tatu Kabongo forgot the machete at home. Halfway to their destination, Tatu Kabongo asked one of his sons Tshisuaka to go back and bring the machete. When Tshisuaka got close to their house, he met his father lying on the ground, dead, with his mother wailing. Tshisuaka tried to convince the villagers that his father was back in the forest, in fact he was the one who sent him back to bring the machete but no one listened to him. Tshisuaka quickly ran into the forest and told him all that he saw at home. His father began to smile and asked Mulumba his second son to go and fetch the machete from the house. When he got there, he was met with the same situation as his brother. Finally, the father told them to go home. When they arrived at the village, they found that the court was quiet, their mother was in the kitchen, everything was normal. Both sons then remembered the shows they had done to their father and they touched their head. They were so ashamed; and they told their mother what they had done to their father and asked for forgiveness. So their father concluded by saying to them, “You did all this to scare me, but I showed you that you are children and ears never get past the head. “
THE VALUE OF A PERSON
The Value of a Person (A folktale from the Democratic Republic of Congo)
This story is very important advice regarding the value of a person. The council consists of different parts of the human body that compete for the power to control the entire human body. Once upon a time, members of the human body council met in order to choose a leader. Each member introduced himself to explain the role he played in the entire human body. The Head told the other members of the body, ‘I want to be the leader because, if we want to look at a person, we do so through the Head. I have intelligence and wisdom.’ The other members of the body told the Head, ‘We know that you have the intelligence and wisdom, but you have ringworm and you have lice; therefore, you do not deserve to be our leader.’ The Hand also announced, ‘I want to be the leader because it is I who helps the man. If provoked, I can defend the human body by administering shots. The hand should be strong. If someone is sick, I make him eat. If you need to cut something, you use me.’ The members said to the Hand, ‘You cannot be our leader because you slap people, you hit people and you touch everything. Therefore, we do not give you the power.’ The Eyes spoke up, asking for power. He said, ‘We make it possible for people to move around, read, and see the light of day.’ The members replied to the Eyes, ‘Look, you are hungry, you are thieves, you look at the neighbor’s wife, diamond in a package, and other people’s money. You cannot be a leader.’ Other members refused. The Foot in turn told the members, ‘I want to be the leader because I move people from one place to another.’ The members said to the Foot, ‘Foot, you perform karate, you kick people, you are always hidden in the shoe. You do not deserve to be our leader.’ The Knee said, ‘I want to be the leader because, if someone wants to pray, he kneels.’ The members said to the Knee, ‘You are hidden under people’s clothing. You cannot be our leader.’ The Mouth said, ‘I want to be the leader because, when I go to the Senate, I will speak for you.’ The members said to the Mouth, ‘You Mouth are provocative. You do not have self control. You insult people, you accuse people falsely. You cannot be our leader.’ There remained only one member, and that was the Anus. He told members that he also wanted to be chief. The members became very angry and told the Anus that, even if the power was given to every other member, they could not give it to the Anus. Anus said, ‘You will all know that I am the head. I will go home and you shall seek me.’ The Anus went home and closed his door. The other members stayed to party. The Hand took the food and gave it to the Mouth. The very happy Mouth ate joyfully. She sent it to the Stomach and the Stomach was happy to receive the food. The man walked around without any problem. The Feet moved smoothly. The first day passed, the man was well. The second day, things still went well, as well as the third day. However, on the fourth day, oh oh oh, the man’s belly was bloated. His eyes were puffy, his hands and feet were shaking. The man was unable to move. On the fifth day, the members decided to seek the Anus at his house. When they arrived at Mr. Anus’ house, they said to him, ‘Anus, it is you who should be our leader, we came to hand power over to you.’ Therefore, Anus accepted the offer. He pressed the first button, the man let out some gas. The man begins to move his hands and feet and they asked the man, how are you now? The man replied, ‘I feel better.’ Mr. Anus pressed the second button, and the man was able to empty his bowel and felt comfortable. Dear friends, really, all members of the body are very important and each member plays an important role in the life of a person. The foot cannot say to the eye, ‘You are not important.’
The hand cannot say to the head, ‘That does not matter.’
All members perform useful functions.
The Family
A Folktale from Northwest Cameroon, West Africa
Once upon a time, there lived a large family of many siblings who had all manner of diverse character traits humanity could ever imagine. They always moved in pairs, given their number. They had such a rapport with one another that none could come between them, whether in good or bad times; through thick and thin, they learned to stick around for each other. They lived during the colonial period, characterized by high moral and intellectual standards, and class distinction, where the rich got richer and the poor poorer. This social gap only grew wider as time went by. The peculiarity of this family was its size. They were known by a few rich folks but more widely amongst the commoners. Having a large family at the time was perceived by the upper class as a characteristic of the poor. They were considered commoners and peasant farmers, who spent more time in activities considered to be solely for the ordinary man and further characterized by high birth rates. Often these children served as work force in the farms, during times of war as soldiers, and as collateral for unpaid debts and pledges. Sixteen children were born to John Benedict Tates and Mary A. Tates, who belonged to the middle class. John Benedict was an outstanding craftsman who acquired his renown through the arts and was known amongst aristocrats as well as commoners. Wherever any of the children went, people referred to them as “the family” or as “society in miniature” instead of going by the Benedict name legacy that their father left behind after his passing.
Peculiar to the “Tates” was changing their business name from Benedict to Tate. This they did to represent the fact that each of them was an embodiment of an important trait in the human life, whether it be a flaw or a strength, within the context of avarice, hate, materialism, ego, love or wisdom, to name a few.
They didn’t leave others indifferent wherever they passed. Instead, they ensured that people took notice of them, especially those who hadn’t heard about them. The decision to change the legacy that John Benedict had worked so hard to raise was done collectively so that each person could be represented in the newly formed company, named “The Tates.” The day usually started with the eldest son, “Dictate,” seeking to order everyone around as a means of making his position as the eldest son known and to attempt to make everyone to do things his way. Such orderings usually enraged “Irritate,” who got angry at the slightest instruction because he, like his brother, also liked things done his way. The twin sisters “Devastate and Agitate” were known for their troublesome and disruptive nature by the other siblings in such a manner that one would think they wanted the ruin of all, given that they always connived together. The outcome would usually stir up a fight or attempt to make void any constructive ideas for the continuity of the family business. The triplets “Vegetate, Hesitate and Mutate” often put on a reluctant and indifferent attitude that wasn’t quick to adapt to any changes made in the business. They were of the opinion that things should remain as their father had left them. They thought together,
“Why stress to change anything?”
Potentate, being the Benjamin who knew the extreme love of her parents for her, considering she was the most pampered of the children, thought that, as her name, “Potentate” implied, she should rule over everything and her voice should be heard because of her witty ideas. She considered herself the “queen” of the Benedicts, or should I say, “The Tates.” Imitate and Mimitate (also nick-named “Mimic”) understood just how to swap modes, going by the person who at the end of the day led the siblings as the occasion presented itself. Possessing no stable opinion of their own, coupled with indecisiveness, they followed the person who oftentimes won at the end of the day irrespective of the decision, whether right or wrong. In summary, each person’s trait, once put together with the rest, served a great purpose when they all acted for the common good of all in unity, thereby complementing one another in strength. Cogitate and Meditate, nick-named “the twins of wisdom” as they were very reflective, spoke with great wisdom in few words, which often calmed down the tensions amongst them. They were of vital importance to the family, being the third and second to the last children of the Benedicts. After listening to the wisdom of the twins, Rotate knew how to turn things around for the better, reminding each of their uniqueness and participation no matter how small. It was significant for the furtherance of the enterprise and the family at large, nothing taken for granted. At the end of the day, it was Facilitate, Necessitate and Orientate who always related everything in such a manner that made the case for cooperation amongst the siblings. Facilitate made it easy for everyone to be happy to disagree on lighter issues in order to agree on the weightier ones. In their unity in diversity and their disagreeing to agree, they loved each other and valued the strength and uniqueness of each, bearing in mind that, in times of adversity, each looked out for the other.
Eventually they learned after a tough time to value each other rather than magnify each other’s faults based on who didn’t do what or what whosoever did. They learned to minimize the lesser and insignificant things and to emphasize the major things together.
In the end, the Benedicts, now changed to the Tates, prospered all the more and stood the test of time, emerging into the upper class of society as they now understood the following:
“United we stand, divided we fall.”
The story of the Tates became a legend among the Bafut people in colonial Cameroon.
The Wise Physically Challenged
Imaria was born to the family of Opoki Riale in the village of Ebewen. He was a very beautiful and active child when he was born, but, one day, polio struck and disabled him. There was no prevention at that time. The mother took him to every doctor in Ebewen in the hope that one of them might be able to cure her son. After days of searching, it appeared that none of the doctors had the ability to rescue Imaria from the wrath of this disease. However, Imaria soon recovered, even though he now lacked the ability to walk. Until he contracted polio, Imaria had grown up and belonged with every other child in Ebewen. Now he was subjected to seclusion, as his parents were ashamed to send a disabled child to school with individuals deemed more able. In spite of the efforts of Imaria’s friends to help him continue with his studies, his parents remained stubborn in their choice. However, Imaria soon took up farm work, which seemed to suit him. Each time Imaria went to the farm, he passed through the village, which meant passing through Onofua’s house. Each time Onofua’s wife saw Imaria, she would mock him because of his walking ability. She would look at him and say, “Will this boy ever find a wife to marry?”
Initially the little boy would laugh and draw his legs with the help of his cane. Gradually, the young man became conscious of the woman’s statement and considered it to be an insult. When the woman repeated her taunts, he would cry, and tell his mother. After each incident, his mother would tell him that if he achieved anything at all, then this woman would show him respect.
Onofua and his wife had three daughters. One day, the most beautiful daughter fell ill. Just like Imaria’s parents, Onofua’s wife went to every doctor in the village. Yet again, no doctor could cure her. Her parents had lost hope that she would ever recover. One late evening, as Imaria was returning from the farm, he met an old woman carrying firewood. She was tired and weak, and as he approached her, the old woman’s walking stick snapped. Imaria became sympathetic to the old woman and offered help. He gave the old woman his own walking stick and, in spite of his disability, helped her to carry her load. When they got to a junction, the old woman returned the stick and took the firewood. She thanked him and told him to touch her with the walking stick, which he did. The old woman then transformed into a very young girl. She told him to take the walking stick home and use it to assist people suffering from illness. She told him that if he touched a sick person with a walking stick, they would heal. When Imaria got home, he found that his mother had fallen ill. Seizing the chance, he used the walking stick as he was instructed. Soon after, his mother became well. Word of Imaria’s newly discovered magic passed through the village as his family began inviting sick people within the community to receive this strange treatment. Many came, and left Imaria’s home healed. However, when Onofua’s wife heard the news, she was afraid to take her daughter there. Her husband fell ill too. Still, she refused. Her neighbors forced her to take her husband to Imaria when his sickness became worse. She resisted, but eventually gave in to the pressure. As soon as they got there, Onofua was cured. At the sight of this wonder, Onofua’s wife was persuaded to bring her daughter to Imaria in order to cure her. When she pleaded to Imaria for help, Imaria was adamant that he would only help on one condition. He would only heal this woman’s daughter if she married him when she became well. The mother pleaded again, but Imaria ignored her.
Onofua and his wife went home. Every time they saw their daughter suffer, they were filled with sadness. One day, they decided that it was better for their daughter to marry Imaria than to remain in her pains. So, they took her there and Imaria worked his magic. The daughter became well, and the wishes of her family and Imaria were fulfilled. At the sight of this wonder, Onofua’s wife was persuaded to bring her daughter to Imaria in order to cure her. When she pleaded to Imaria for help, Imaria was adamant that he would only help on one condition. He would only heal this woman’s daughter if she married him when she became well. The mother pleaded again, but Imaria ignored her.
Onofua and his wife went home. Every time they saw their daughter suffer, they were filled with sadness. One day, they decided that it was better for their daughter to marry Imaria than to remain in her pains. So, they took her there and Imaria worked his magic. The daughter became well, and the wishes of her family and Imaria were fulfilled. Because of his new and immense wealth that accumulated due to his gift, Imaria planned a wedding for himself and his bride to be. The events of the wedding brought one final gift. Watching their daughter dance, Onofua and his wife became regretful – their daughter was well, but what about Imaria? The effects of his disease were still present. Imaria was aware of this, too. He knew what to do. He tapped his right leg with the walking stick, and sure enough, he was able to stand fully. The family then forgot about their sorrows, and began to dance in happiness. Imaria and his wife were safe, and everything was going to be okay.
How The Tortoise Got The Cracks On His Shell
A Nigerian Folktale
Once upon a time in the animal kingdom, there was a famine. The animals in the kingdom all starved and looked very lean except the birds. When the Tortoise noticed this, he decided to find out from the birds where they got their food. The birds refused, citing the Tortoise’s cunning as a reason why they wouldn’t disclose it. The Tortoise continued to plead and promised not to play any tricks. The birds then agreed to tell him. They told him of a feast held high up in the heavens for anyone who could make it up there. The Tortoise thought about it and realized that it would be impossible for him to get to the heavens because he had no wings. However, an idea struck him; he said, “if only each of you would lend me a feather to attach to my body which would serve as a wing.” The birds agreed and gave him a feather to attach to his body to form wings. Before they left, the birds asked him to take a ceremonial name, one which he would be addressed by when he got to the heavens. After thinking about it, the Tortoise said he should be called “Everyone of you,” and so they left for the feast. When they arrived, they were welcomed by the host of heaven and led to the table where a banquet was prepared. “This food is for everyone of you,” said the host before leaving. At that point, the Tortoise stepped forward and reminded them that his ceremonial name was “Everyone of you” and, as such, the food belonged to him alone. He then went ahead to eat the entire food. When he was done, his smooth shell shone brightly. The birds were very angry with him and they all agreed to take back their feathers, leaving him with no wings. The Tortoise, however, pleaded with one of the birds to take a message home for him. “Tell my wife to bring out the softest materials, the beds and the pillows in my house, and put them out under the heavens, so that I can land safely when I jump down.” The bird agreed to take the message, but when he got to the house of the Tortoise, he changed the message. “Your husband has instructed that you bring out the strong and hard materials in the house out in the open,” he said. When the Tortoise saw his wife bringing out materials, he became assured that he would be able to land safely. When she had finished, the Tortoise leapt from the heavens, and crashed into the hard materials. His smooth shell shattered into several pieces. It took the best healer in the land to put his shell together. Thus, until this day, the Tortoise has a broken shell as a reminder of what his greed cost him.