Okechukwu’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Tag: folktales

  • Diary of a Village Boy: The Leopard Spirit 16 (Big Cat on the Prowl 2)

    The land wasn’t exactly everyone’s friend, as the folktales told. Just as one of the grannies taught us, the land was sacred, and every living thing owed its existence to Ala, the land. I knew that anyway. I always wondered why our stories started with a particular place—land and time. It now made sense to…

  • Why Fairytales Matter – Slides

  • Diary of A Village Boy: The Leopard Spirit 12 (Tales by Moonlight 2)

    I stood up and tried to follow the figure. The wind began to blow, and I felt it was calling to me for some reason. Navigating through the crowd was difficult. Some kids were bothering me by tugging at my feet, while teenagers watched me with disdain nearby because I was blocking their view. The…

  • Diary of A Village Boy: The Leopard Spirit 6

    https://wp.me/p1F7lc-3IV

  • Folklore: The Goats and The Tortoise

    Two goats fought over a loaf of bread. The tortoise saw them and offers to resolve the issue. He tore the bread unevenly and because it’s uneven he takes a bite from one half. But the bread remained uneven. So he took another bite and continued until there was no more bread left. The goats…

  • Dialogue 7: Laziness Vs Hardwork

    Storyteller: Ifochakpi! Audience: Waa!! Storyteller: Good evening, my friends! Today we will consider two characters. I wrote about this short rhyme for kids and teens. It came back to me when I remembered the story I read as a school kid—the tale of lazy hoppers and busy ants. The ants were seen as losers because…

  • The Arrogant King

    Once upon a time in a land far away, there lived a king who didn’t listen to anyone. He was so stubborn that he thought he knew everything. If anyone tried to advise or share an opinion with him, he would reject it. He felt good doing this and hence earned for himself, the name…

  • Folklore: The Tortoise and the Rabbit

    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…

  • Folklore: The Hippo and His Seven Wives

    I heard the Wind tell this story Storyteller: Ifochakpii! Audience: Waa!!! Storyteller: Gather my friends. It’s time to tell a story. It’s time also to hear a tale. Gather by the fireside, warm yourselves. Bring the little ones to the center. Keep them more hospitable for the night, and her cold hands are nigh. Sit…

  • Tradition: Storytelling

    The African Storytelling Tradition When I, the storyteller, say: Ifochakpii! You, the audience, will reply, Waa!! (Pronounced as ‘War!’) This is the Igbo people’s storytelling tradition. There are different ways of introducing a story to the audience. To the Igbo people, it starts with a chant-like ranting that tries to capture all present attention. So…

  • Diary of a Village Boy: The Leopard Spirit 8 (Stubborn Nene)

    That morning before the early hunters left their homes for the forest, Dada was already on his way to Ndi-Ikele to welcome the priest, newly arrived from Trinidad and Tobago. It was breezy and cloudy that morning, it seemed it would rain any moment. Trees, especially the palm took to joyful procession when I stepped…

  • Another Tale of the WildWoods

    There’s a land behind those hills Hidden in the forest, One mighty foliage; of brushes & roots At all times, Cloud is blue And King of the Forest Do fall in love with it When the Cloud blush It rains softly; mildly And little creatures Which live in the land Look up to the smiling…

  • Quiet Lakeside

    Once upon a quiet lakeside, Where blue clouds stay, With very thick fog dwell, And tall Figs hide in them Like towers, Over a host of colours, Painting down the valley When the sun rays fall And the forest below So all may turn to gold. Clouds are not left behind They shine in the…

  • Tale of The Musk Rat

    Once upon a time In a land far, far away Where the forests were untamed And animals had clans and kingdoms There lived a young musk rat Who loved his mother so much And took good care of her He would go hunting for fruits And exotic vegetables from the forests And brought them home…

  • Folktale: The Tortoise and His Broken Shell

    Gather around friends. How was your day today? Good to know it was fine. Mine wasn’t bad either. I hope this breezy evening gives us more than this beautiful folktale I’m about to tell. Remember to note the morals that accompany it. I have also italicized the proverb in the story. Once upon a time,…

  • Amuse: Singina likes my tales

  • Diary of a Village Boy: The Leopard Spirit 7 (Crocodile at the Stream)

    Dada said I had to be strong to attend the next Tales by Moonlight night. He also promised I could play and hunt with other children if I got well fast. So I took my medication and exercise seriously. The moonlight night tales come once in a fortnight, sometimes it may be delayed especially during…

  • Folklore: The Straw, the Coal and the Bean from Gutenberg Project

    In a village dwelt a poor old woman, who had gathered together a dish of beans and wanted to cook them. So she made a fire on her hearth and that it might burn the quicker, she lighted it with a handful of straw. When she was emptying the beans into the pan, one dropped…

  • Folktale: The Hen and Her Neighbors

    It is breezy here and I have a tale for the evening. Gather around, sit with me under this mango tree, warm yourself by the fire and enjoy this poetale… Ifochakpi! Waa!! Once in the animal kingdom There lived a Hen and a Cock and Their neighbors, the Rat and the Lizard One day the…

  • Folklore: Old Sultan from project Gutenberg

    A shepherd had a faithful dog, called Sultan, who was grown very old, and had lost all his teeth. And one day when the shepherd and his wife were standing together before the house the shepherd said, “I will shoot old Sultan tomorrow morning, for he is of no use now.” But his wife said,…

  • African Folktale: the Crows and the Cuckoo

    It is evening here and I feel like telling you a story. Bring your mat, come sit with me outside, by the fireside and let us enjoy the night breeze. Once upon a time there lived a set of Crows which plundered farms. Each day the farmers try to catch the Crows to no avail,…

  • African tales by Moonlight

    Living in the countyside was fun. I can’t forget the numerous activities/events I participated in. I remember the rodent hunting, farm work, fruit catching, swimming in the streams, wrestling fights and the night tales. My favorite was the night tales which was something else. How I love to sit in the warmth of other kids,…

  • Introducing the African Folklore

    Folklore are tales, legends, superstitions of a particular ethnic population. In Igbo and other African societies, story telling is unique, such that it is a passage to transmit the culture and tradition from one generation to another. These tales generally convey the history, messages and old knowledge. They are meant to teach morals and virtues…

  • Three musings:  Evening, wet Earth and Love

  • Once upon a time… 

    Once upon a time you preferred the silence to my love Then trees leaves fell, they fall quietly and so you went Once I held your hands in deep love and we walked the paths,  And you told of our future but now you will not see me anymore We played together, you were my…