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Anansi ni Butali Anansi and Wisdom Anansi na Maano

Written by Ghanaian folktale

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Christabel Songiso

Language Lozi

Level Level 3

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Kale, kale koo, batu nebasazibi lika. Nebasazibi kucala licalo, kuluka libyana, kapa kupanga lisebeliso za lisipi. Mulimu Nyambe kwa lihalimu na nani butali kaufela mwa lifasi. Na bubulukile hande mwa poto ya lizupa.

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.


Zazi leliñwi, Nyambe aheza keto yakufa Anansi poto yeo ya butali. Nako kaufela Anansi anatalimelanga mwa poto yeo ya lizupa, naitutanga lika zenca. Nekutabisa luli!

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.


Anansi ni lunya lwahae anahana, “Nika beya poto ye kwa halimu a kota yetelele. Mi nikaipulukela yona ninosi!” Atatulula muhala womutelele, autata kwa poto ya lizupa ni kuitama wona famba. Saakala kupahama kwa kota. Kono nekuli tata hahulu kupahama kwa kota ni poto inge imunataka fa mañwele nako kaufela.

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.


Nako kaufela, mwana wa Anansi wa mushimani, na yemanga mwatasi a kota inge abuha. Abulela ali, “Kana hakuna kuba bunolo kupahama inge mutamezi poto kwa mukokoto nji? Anansi alika kutamela poto ya lizupa yetezi butali kwa mukokoto wahae, mi kwaba bunolo hahulu.

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.


Kabubebe, afita kwa halimu a kota. Kono akutumana mi anahana, “Neniswanela kuba ni butali bobufitisisa, kono fa mwanake utalifile kunifita!” Anansi a nyemiswa hahulu ki taba ye, mi a poseza poto ya lizupa fafasi kuzwelelela kwa halimu a kota.

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.


Yapwacakeha liyemba fafasi. Butali bwa abana kuya ku mutu kaufela. Mi kona monobazibezi batu kulima, kuluka libyana, kupanga lisebeliso za lisipi mane ni lika zeñwi zeo batu baziba kueza.

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: Christabel Songiso
Language: Lozi
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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