Another Igbo Folktale Introit Storyteller: Ifochakpi! Audience: Waa!! Storyteller: Enwere akuko m ga akoro unu (There’s a tale I wish to tell you all) Audience: Koro anyi ka obi di anyi mma! (Tell us, so that we can be happy!) Storyteller: I welcome you all again. The Igbo folklore tradition allows each storytelling session to […]
Storyteller: Ifochakpi! Audience: Waa!! Storyteller: Nkita nyara akpa? (When a dog picks up his backpack?) Audience: Nsi agwu n’ohia! (All faeces in the bush go wanting) Storyteller: Spread your mats and sit at the foot of the tree. It was a long day for me, we could use a good story to wrap it up. […]
No beauty shines brighter than a good heart When Bill Gates was still the richest man, somebody asked him if there was anyone richer than him. Bill Gates answered yes and started telling the story of a newspaper guy and his encounter with him. Gates said that while he was waiting for his flight, he […]
The Mischievous Tortoise Do you ever wonder why Nnabe, the Tortoise, is always portrayed as a mischievous personality in tales? You are not alone. Sometimes I try to understand the nature of this fictitious character, how he reasons, and why he acts the way he does. I even ask why this animal was picked to […]
Growing up Growing up was fun. School holidays took me to the countryside, where I was acquainted with folklore life. I have done strange but funny things like wearing a girl’s skirt to play with other children (that’s a story for another day), returning to the stream to bury a dead crab I killed, attempted […]
A Crow was sitting on a tree Doing nothing all day. A small Rabbit saw the Crow, And asked him, ‘Can I also sit like you And do nothing all day long?’ The Crow answered: ‘Sure, why not.’ So, the Rabbit sat on the ground Below the Crow, and rested. All of a sudden a […]
A short story A little boy named John lived in a beautiful home with his parents. One day, his father found him crying and asked if something was wrong. John said meekly, “I have so many problems in life, and talked about his ‘problems’. John’s father patiently listened to him. Then he brought a bowl […]
An empathetic mindset and love are what we need for a better world. It’s utterly monstrous weather out there. Each time the breeze touches my skin, I shudder and sneeze. I’m cuddled on the bed, clutching a phone in one hand in a dark room, too lazy to read or even find a light. No […]
‘Excuse me,’ said he, ‘but that’s a question I never like to hear asked. What does it matter where a man is from? Is it fair to judge a man by his post-office address? Why, I’ve seen Kentuckians who hated whisky, Virginians who weren’t descended from Pocahontas, Indians who hadn’t written a novel, Mexicans who […]
