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Anansi en Wysheid Anansi and Wisdom Anansi na Maano

Written by Ghanaian folktale

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Willemien Wannberg

Language Afrikaans

Level Level 3

Narrate full story The audio for this story is currently not available.


Lank, lank gelede het die mense niks geweet nie. Hulle het nie geweet hoe om gewasse te plant of klere te weef of hoe om gereedskap van yster te maak nie. Die god Nyame bo in die lug het al die wysheid van die wêreld gehad. Hy het dit veilig in ‘n kleipot bewaar.

Long long ago people didn’t know anything. They didn’t know how to plant crops, or how to weave cloth, or how to make iron tools. The god Nyame up in the sky had all the wisdom of the world. He kept it safe in a clay pot.

Mu nshita yakale saana, abantu tabaishibe nangu cimo. Tabaishibe ifyakubyala ifilimwa nangu ukupikula, nangu ukupanga ifibombelo fya fyela. Leesa Nyame uwali mu muulu umutali ewakwete amaano yonse mu caalo. Aayasungile mu nongo.


Op ‘n dag het Nyame besluit om die pot met wysheid vir Anansi te gee. Elke keer as Anansi in die pot gekyk het, het hy iets nuuts geleer. Dit was so opwindend!

One day, Nyame decided that he would give the pot of wisdom to Anansi. Every time Anansi looked in the clay pot, he learned something new. It was so exciting!

Ubushiku bumo, Nyame apeele Anansi inongo ya maano. Lyonse ilyo Anansi aalelolesha mu nongo, alesambililamo icintu cimo icipya. Caliweme nganshi.


Gierige Anansi het gedink: “Ek sal die pot veilig in die top van ‘n hoë boom bewaar. Dan kan ek alles vir myself hê!” Hy het ‘n lang draad gespin, dit rondom die kleipot gedraai en aan sy maag vas gemaak. Hy het begin om in die boom op te klim. Dit was moeilik om boom te klim met die pot wat die heeltyd teen sy knieë stamp.

Greedy Anansi thought, “I’ll keep the pot safe at the top of a tall tree. Then I can have it all to myself!” He spun a long thread, wound it round the clay pot, and tied it to his stomach. He began to climb the tree. But it was hard climbing the tree with the pot bumping him in the knees all the time.

Anansi mu kuitemwa, aatontonkenye ati, “Ndesungila inongo pa muulu wa muti uutali pakuti tailubile. Lyena ninshi ikabafye yandi neeka!” Apikula intambo iitali, aipomba ku nongo no kuikaka pa mala. Atampa no kuniina ku cimuti. Nomba cali icayafya ukuniina icimuti ne nongo pantu yalemupunka mu makufi cila nshita.


Die heeltyd het Anansie se seuntjie onder die boom gestaan en hom dop gehou. Hy het gesê: “Sou dit nie makliker wees om te klim as jy die pot op jou rug vasmaak nie?” Anansi het probeer om die pot vol wysheid op sy rug vas te maak, en dit was regtig baie makliker.

All the time Anansi’s young son had been standing at the bottom of the tree watching. He said, “Wouldn’t it be easier to climb if you tied the pot to your back instead?” Anansi tried tying the clay pot full of wisdom to his back, and it really was a lot easier.

Inshita yonse ii, umulumendo umwana uwakwa Anansi aiminiine mwisamba lya muti aletamba. Epakusosa ati, “Bushe teeti cangukeko nga mwakakiliile inongo panuma?” Efyo Anansi aeseshe ukukaka inongo ya maano panuma, awe no kwanguka cayanguka.


Gou-gou het hy die boomtop bereik, maar toe stop hy en dink: “Ek is veronderstel om die een met al die wysheid te wees, en hier was my seun slimmer as ek!” Anansi was so kwaad hieroor dat hy die kleipot uit die boom uit gegooi het.

In no time he reached the top of the tree. But then he stopped and thought, “I’m supposed to be the one with all the wisdom, and here my son was cleverer than me!” Anansi was so angry about this that he threw the clay pot down out of the tree.

Ukwabula ukupoosa ne nshita afika na pamuulu wa muti. Nomba atala iiminina no kutontonkaya ati, “Nine mfwile ukukwata amaano yonse, nomba apa umwana wandi akwatapo amaano ukuncila!” Anansi afulwa icibi. Apoosa ne nongo panshi ya cimuti.


Dit het aan skerwe gespat toe dit die grond tref. Die wysheid was verniet vir almal om in te deel. Dit is hoe die mense geleer het hoe om te boer, klere te weef, gereedskap van yster te maak en al die ander dinge wat mense weet hoe om dit te doen.

It smashed into pieces on the ground. The wisdom was free for everyone to share. And that is how people learned to farm, to weave cloth, to make iron tools, and all the other things that people know how to do.

Iŋongo yapona panshi yatobaika. Amaano nomba yabafye ya muntu onse. Ukufuma apo, efyo abantu baishibe ukulima, ukupikula no kufula ifishimbi na fimbipo ifyo abantu baishiba ukucita pali leelo.


Written by: Ghanaian folktale
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Willemien Wannberg
Language: Afrikaans
Level: Level 3
Source: Anansi and Wisdom from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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