Category: Great Legends & Tales

A Heritage of legends and tales

Is Ousmane Sonko Playing 5D Chess ?

On By Dr. Y.In Great Legends & Tales, Great Moments, Great PeopleLeave a comment
Ousmane Sonko (Source: Leral.net)

The past few days have been quite eventful in Senegal. On Friday, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the President of Senegal, suddenly sacked his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko by a decree read on national television! On Saturday, Ousmane Sonko observed a day of strategic silence. On Sunday he became deputy of PASTEF, his party, at the parliament, and on Tuesday, he was elected the President of the National Assembly or parliament, the second person in the nation! If this is not some 5D chess, then tell me what is!

Diomaye mooy Ousmane (Source: Kalenews.net)

Imagine this: Ousmane Sonko who was denied running for the presidency by all the crooked ways (falsely accused, lied about, thrown in jail, denied from running in the presidential election…) of the previous government of Macky Sall, chose Diomaye Faye one of his lieutenant in the party to run in his stead. He campaigned in the entire country under the slogan “Diomaye mooy Sonko” i.e. “Diomaye is Sonko,” telling people that a vote for Diomaye was a vote for him, that voting for Diomaye would ensure victory for the party PASTEF and its ideas. The people trusted Sonko. Thus, Diomaye became President of the Republic and Sonko his Prime Minister (Senegal Presidential Elections: Bassirou Diomaye Faye is set to be the next president) … Now on Friday, after a year and half, Diomaye sacked Sonko via presidential decree read on public television. That night Sonko responded simply on Twitter by “Alhamdoulillah. Ce soir je dormirai le coeur lèger à la Cité Keur Gorgui” (Alhamdulillah. Tonight, I will sleep with a light heart in Cité Keur Gorgui)” and the crowds came to acclaim him at home. Saturday, radio silence! On Sunday, Deputy at the National Assembly and then Tuesday elected as the President of the Parliament, the second most powerful person in the nation! Simply Wow!

Flag of Senegal
Flag of Senegal

For those of us who grew up reading the stories of the great Senegalese author Birago Diop (Les contes d’Amadou Koumba, …), one can see that Sonko is a proud son of Birago Diop with twists reminiscent of a Leuk-le-lievre. This past week, we all went to Sonko’s school to learn! The move was harmonious and perfect,… I don’t think anybody would have predicted that. Even Western media were all stunned! Those who were laughing were definitely shocked! There is so much to talk about : the betrayal of a protégé, the loyalty of the previous president of the parliament El Malick Ndiaye who stepped down, the trust of the people, the deputies of PASTEF, and even opposition, and the political genius of Sonko (who many probably thought would take to the streets in anger). Congratulations to the new President of the Parliament. His entrance at the parliament and his speech made us proud! Senegal is always giving us lessons in democracy! Senegal first! Senegal always!

Please enjoy Ousmane Sonko’s speech after being elected President of Parliament of Senegal, and learn!

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How the Lion Became the King of the Jungle

On By Dr. Y.In Great Legends & Tales6 Comments
Buffle / Buffalo

At that time, the buffalo was the King of the animals. To drink from the river, you had to wait until it had quenched its thirst first and bathed in it. One day, a lioness whose cub was about to die of itself broke this rule…

The lion was not the king of the animals. At least, he wasn’t at first. Rather, it was Dankélé, a large black buffalo from the savannah, who reigned over the beast people. King Dankélé was a great tyrant, a king who ruled without faith or law. Whether you were right, you were afraid. Whether you were wrong, you were right to be afraid of him.

Riviere / River

At that time, there was only one river where all the animals came to drink, but no one was allowed to drink before Dankélé. And Dankélé did not just quench his thirst, he bathed in the river, rolled around in it and did all his business there. It was only after that the others could drink the already dirty water in turn. It was unfair, but that was how it was. You had to put up with it.

But the mother lioness, that day, could not wait for the king to arrive. Her lion cub, who had just arrived in the world, was going to die of thirst. She gave him a little water. She drank a tiny bit herself.

King Dankélé arrived. He was accompanied by members of his court, griots and griottes who sang his praises:

Soundiata Keita a l'Assemblée constitutive de l'empire du Mandé avec les chefs de guerre (Source: Wikipedia.fr)
Soundiata Keita a l’Assemblée constitutive de l’empire du Mandé avec les chefs de guerre (Source: Wikipedia.fr)

« Ô ! Great Buffalo ! 

You are greater than Sunjata the great

Greater than Da Monzon the great

Greater than Alexander the Great! » 

But King Dankélé, when he was at the edge of the river, saw that they had dared to drink before him, the king. He turned towards his people and, threatening them with his gaze, shouted his anger. And his anger made everyone tremble:

– Who is it… But who dared to drink the king before me? If you don’t point out the culprit, you are all guilty!

The animals, terrified, looked into each other’s eyes. Everyone had seen the lioness giving her cub a drink. But who could take the responsibility of reporting her to this brute of a king? The hyena did so:

– I’m not going to pay for a mistake I didn’t make. It was the lioness who drank before you. That’s it! I just said it.

And immediately, with a leap, King Dankélé crushed the lioness with his big paws.

But the lion cub did not die. He ran away as fast as he could and went into hiding.

He waited and waited until he grew up. When he became a big lion whose roar echoed across the savannah, he went out and said to the buffalo:

Lion
Lion

– Buffalo, where did my mother go?

The buffalo, intimidated by the strength the lion gave off, stammered:

– Your, your, your mother the lioness.

A counselor whispers in her ear:

– This is the lioness you killed a few years ago because she dared to drink before you.

– Oh yes, that’s right, said the buffalo, turning to the lion. It’s the law, not me. The law is the law. Your mother dared to drink before me, so the law was applied to her. The law is the law, the law is not me.

– The law which applies only to the weakest is an unjust law.

And the lion throws himself on the buffalo, overpowers it, and frees the kingdom of animals.

It is since that day that he is the king of the animals. It is also since that day that he strives to be just and upright.

The French original can be found on Ouologuem Blog. Translated to English by Dr. Y., Afrolegends.com

Mishap

On By Dr. Y.In Great Legends & Tales2 Comments

Curdled milk (Source: https://recettes.africa/lait-caille-ramadan/)

Once upon a time, there was a young man who was going to visit his fiancée. She received him with all honors and installed him in her hut in the middle of her bed. She hastened to present him with a calabash full of curdled milk. But custom dictates that one holds back when one is at one’s parents-in-law, and the stranger apologized for not being able to drink this good milk.

Despite his beloved’s insistence, he refused to take a single drop. The calabash was thus stored on the shelf and the conversation resumed even more vigorously.

A moment later, the girl went out for a few moments. Then, the stranger, who was tormented by the desire to taste this good milk, got up to take advantage of the absence of his beloved. But, in his haste, he knocks over the calabash, and the milk floods his boubou.

Stunned and crestfallen, he awaits his fiancée’s return. Fortunately, she does not return, but sends her little brother to bring back the calabash of milk stored on the shelf. The child enters the room and, seeing the confused man huddled in a corner, he understands what has happened. Heaving a sigh, he exclaimed:

– Ouch, I took the calabash, but it slipped from my hands and it fell over on the guest’s boubou!

The sister runs inside and burst into tears while apologizing to her guest for the clumsiness of her little brother.

Thus, the man was able to leave the village, not without keeping an excellent memory of the child who saved him from disgrace.

Contes Wolof du Baol, J. Copans and P. Couty, Ed. Karthala, 1988, p. 62. Translated to English by Dr. Y., Afrolegends.com

Somali Tale : The Black Crow

On By Dr. Y.In Great Legends & Tales3 Comments
A crow snacking on some bread (pied crow)

The crow was once a sheikh or priest, and at that time he was white. But all the other birds made an accusation against him.

They said, “On the one hand he eats meat, and on the other hand he eats fruits.“

So all the birds came together and said, “You are a sheikh or a priest! But what you do is wrong. The smallest birds should eat meat. And the biggest ones eat fruit. But you eat from both sides.”

In not only Somali but Cushitic culture in general, it was said that the crow was the representative of the Sun God called Wak. Oromos believed in the Sun God also. People believed that the crow interpreted what Wak, the Sun God, said to the people and people would send their messages to the Sun God through him.

The crow, when he speaks, says “Wak! Wak!”

But the crow became dishonest and ate from both things – fruit and meat, and so he was punished. They cursed him and he became black.

This tale was narrated by Pr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali on Ethiopian Folktales.

Ethiopian Tale : The Dog, the Goat, and the Donkey

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Dog

Once there was a dog, a goat and a donkey who wanted to travel to another country. So they got on the bus. The dog had ten birr (the main unit of currency in Ethiopia). The donkey had five birr, but the goat had no money.

The bus ticket cost five birr. But when the dog gave ten birr to the conductor, he didn’t get any change. Because the goat had no money, she tried to hide herself in the bus. But the donkey paid his five birr. When the bus arrived at its destination they all got off.

Une Chevre / A Goat

The dog always runs after the bus shouting, “Give me my five birr! My five birr!” The goat runs away from the bus, saying, “The conductor will ask me for my money.” But the donkey doesn’t move. He’s already paid his five birr and he feels quite safe and happy.

This tale was narrated by Abdul Amin Ahmed in Ethiopian Folktales

Being Complicated is Incurable

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tall and short

There were once two friends. One was tall, and the other short.

One day, they decided to go to the market. Since they were going through a narrow path, the tall one left the short one behind.

  • It is because you underestimate me that you leave me behind you, complained the short one.

A bit further, the tall one, trying to satisfy his friend, made him move in front.

  • It is, to better look at me, and laugh at my short height, growled the other.

They reached the market. The place was full of people. The tall one wanting to correct the errors which had been reproached him, brought his friend back to his sides and the two of them walked hand in hand.

  • You put us side by side now to show everyone that you are taller than I, growled the short one.
  • My friend, I think that it is impossible to satisfy a dwarf. You are complicated and it is an incurable disease.

Fables des Montagnes de Patrice Kayo, Collection Les CLES de l’avenir, Editions CLE, Yaounde, p. 38 (1998). Translated to English by Dr. Y., Afrolegends.com

Spider and the Magic Calabash

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spider-5-coloring-pageOnce upon a time there was a village where famine was raging; the king was very worried because the children were dying and the villagers no longer had enough strength to go and cultivate the land. This was where Kaku Ananze, the spider lived. Despite all his cunning, he too was suffering from hunger. Every day he went into the bush in search of roots or seeds that could feed his family. One day, Kaku Ananze was wandering among the bushes. Exhausted with fatigue, he stopped to rest. So he hears a little voice coming out of a thicket which tells him, “Papa Ananze! Papa Ananze!” A bit scared and very curious to know who is calling him, Kaku Ananze enters amidst the thorns and discovers a calabash placed on the ground.

Calebassier_3_2021
The calabash all dried up… almost ready to be made into a bowl

As he takes a closer look, the kitchen utensil speaks to him in these terms, “Take me out of this thorn bush and take me to your hut. As a reward, I will make your life happy.”

Spider picks up the calabash and takes it home. Once home, he calls his wife and children. He shows them the utensil and tells them his story. While everyone is amazed, Kaku Ananze leans over the calabash and says to it, “Dear friend, I did everything you wanted. It’s up to you to keep your promise. My people and I are starving and have no food; can you help us?” No sooner does he finish these words than the calabash is filled with all kinds of food: fried yams, beignets, plantains, bananas, chicken, sauce,… They all thank their new friend, eat until they are full. Then Kaku Ananze speaks in these terms, « children, listen to me, and you too, wife ! I am going to carefully hide this magic calabash. Do not tell anyone, under any circumstances, because people will be jealous of our luck and could come and steal the calabash from us. » All family members swear to remain silent. For a few days everything goes well. In the evening, Spider takes the calabash from its hiding place, and politely asks for food, and after the family has eaten, he returns the utensil back.

Beignets
Beignets

But, Kaku Ananze’s wife is very greedy. She hid a few bean fritters in her loincloth as provision for the day. In the afternoon, she goes out of the concession, sits under a mango tree and begins to eat. But her hungry neighbor sees her. The neighbor quietly approaches and starts screaming, “how can you have bean fritters, when everybody is dying of hunger, and that there is no food in the village? Besides, I did not see you pounding the dough or cooking. Who did you steal this from?”

Mrs. Spider is bothered. She immediately gives her remaining beignets to the neighbor, begging her to shut up. This one devours everything then starts making noise again. “Thief! Thief ! Who did you take this from?”  Scared, Mrs. Spider tells her the whole story of the magic calabash found by her husband, and swears to her, that from now on, she will bring her a little food every day if she keeps the secret.

During the night, the neighbor who cannot hold her tongue, tells her husband everything; the husband immediately goes to the king to denounce Kaku Ananze’s selfishness.

The king sends soldiers to search the entire concession of Kaku Ananze, but they do not find anything. The magic calabash has disappeared. And no one ever saw it again.

Adea, kue

The tongue is death.

Contes des Lagunes et des Savanes, Edicef (1975). Translated to English by Dr. Y., Afrolegends.com

Somali Tale: How the Cat became the Woman’s Friend

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Cat

At the beginning of the world, the cat was the friend of the antelope in the bush. But once the lion came to the bush and fought and killed the antelope. So the cat thought the lion was better, and became a friend of the lion. But then a group of elephants fought the lion and the lion was killed, so it became the friend of the elephants. Then it saw a man kill an elephant.

“Oh, this is better than the elephant,” and the cat became the friend of man.

African Venus, a sculpture by Charles-Henri Joseph Cordier 1851 (Source: Walters Art Museum)
African Venus, a sculpture by Charles-Henri Joseph Cordier 1851 (Source: Walters Art Museum)

As soon as the man went into his house there was a quarrel with his wife, and his wife ran at him with a stick, shouting, “Where have you been?”

And she shouted many bad things to him. So the man ran away.

“Oh,” said the cat, “the woman is stronger than the man.”

So the cat became the friend of the woman.

This tale was narrated by Abdul Hakim Abdulahi Jibril on Ethiopian Folktales.

When Silence is Strength

On By Dr. Y.In Great Legends & Tales1 Comment
Silence

An eminent nobleman found one morning that his house had been broken into and all his belongings stolen.

Instead of sounding alarms, he gathered his wives and children in the courtyard, and without saying anything, took place in their midst, calmly smoking his pipe.

Towards the middle of the morning, two young men arrived. They found the family gathered in silence, and thinking that they were mourning the theft that they had perpetrated the night before, they spread in compassion:

  • We were out of the village for several days, said one to the nobleman. Back this morning, we were informed of what has happened to you, and we could not leave without coming to commiserate with you.

For all answer, he had them arrested and tied, before telling them what he had been victim of. The young men confessed.

It is since this story that there is an adage which says that we catch the animal by the paw and the man by the word.

Fables des Montagnes de Patrice Kayo, Collection Les CLES de l’avenir, Editions CLE, Yaounde, p. 39 (1998). Translated to English by Dr. Y., Afrolegends.com

The Taro and Its Neighbors

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Dotted taro leaf

From its large leaves, the taro collected water and without gathering any for itself, or absorbing enough, watered its neighbors who bloomed and produced abundantly. For the benefit of others, generous taro forgot itself.

When the dry season came, it was the first to suffer from the lack of water. Turning to its neighbors who had great reserves, it begged them to share enough to survive until the rainy season. Everyone closed their door to its face and fell back on their complacency.

It is while dying that he understood that forgetting oneself for the benefit of others is a failure and that one must always be satisfied before adding to others.

Fables des Montagnes de Patrice Kayo, Collection Les CLES de l’avenir, Editions CLE, Yaounde, p. 59 (1998). Translated to English by Dr. Y., Afrolegends.com