Africa is the land of fables. Aesop, as some writers maintain, was born in Africa during the sixth century B.C. - in Cyrenaica, which was then Greek speaking. Some of his fables are still told in Africa. He himself told fables that he must have heard from Indian travelers, perhaps indirectly from Persian storytellers. In any case, some African fables certainly come from Indian sources, especially some of those heard on the coast of East Africa, which has had trade links with India for many centuries.
The vast majority of fables found in Africa, however, are of African origin. Many of the characters are typically African animals - the hippopotamus, the giraffe, the hartebeest, and the ostrich to mention only a few. Some borrowed fable obviously have been Africanized, for instance the African version of Samson, whose mistress Delilah rides on an ostrich.
There appear to be different stages in the development of African animal tales, and the mood and atmosphere generated by the stories varies from region to region. In one area, a story may be told in a humorous vein, and in another, the same tale may be more solemn - more savage in one tribe and more humane in another.
Certain fables with only minor variations are to be found over wide areas of the continent. For example, the tale of the lion's illness in which the sick lion is tended by a hyena (or wolf) while the jackal (or fox) is absent. The former takes the opportunity of slandering the latter who, on his return, has to defend himself. The common excuse that the jackal offers is that he was away consulting a famous physician who revealed to him a certain cure for the lion - the eyes of a hyena. The lion immediately responds by scratching out and eating the hyena's eyes so the jackal's revenge is complete. The moral of the tale: Use the lion to punish the hyena, if you are weaker than the hyena. I found this fable in Tanzania, in the Sudan, and in several places in West Africa. The other moral is never underestimate your opponent.
These fables contain many useful examples of how to behave wisely in a potentially dangerous situation.
For instance, Mboloko, the pygmy antelope in a Zairian tale, refuses to enter the room in which the leopard lies pretending that he is dying. All the other animals are there, wailing and pretending to grieve over their dying chief. Only Moloko stays outside and risks being accused of impoliteness. Suddenly the leopard orders his son to lock the door. The two leopards fall upon and devour all the mourners, except of course the wise Mboloko. Moral of this tale is clear: It is better to be alive than to be polite and follow the others. Also: Never trust a chief who has the character of a leopard, for he is always arrogant, ruthless, violent, and mendacious. This is a tale for chieftains' sons, to teach them the qualities of good and bad leadership. They should imitate the chiefs who are like the elephant - quiet, respected, dignified, and too big to be afraid of anyone.
Here, then, is the essence of the fable - a story with a lesson. It may not always be a moral one to our way of thinking, but it is always extremely practical! The characters in the fables are often animals as well as people; good and bad spirits and even angels may also feature in fables. In the Indian fables of the panchatantra and the Hitopadesha, the characters are
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