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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

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


Mwa nako yakale, batu nebasazibi lika. Nebasazibi ku cala licalo, ku luka libyana, kamba ku panga lika za lisipi. Mulimu Nyambe mwa lihalimu na nani butali kaufela mwa lifasi. Na bubulukile 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 lelin’wi, Nyambe nato keta kufa poto ya butali ku Anansi. Nako kaufela Anansi atalimela mwa poto ya lizupa, naituta sesin’wi. Nelinto yenetabisa!

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, “Nita beha poto ye fa halimu ya kota yetelele. Mi nitaipulukela yona ninosi!” Atatulula muhala womutelele, atata kwa poto ya lizupa mi saitama yona famba. Saka kupahama kota. Kono neli tata ahulu kupahama kota ni poto inge inata fa man’wele 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 ye kaufela, mwana wamushimani wa Anansi na yemi mwatasi ya kota anza abuha. Abulela, “Nesisikaba bunolo kambe nemu tamezi poto kwa mukokoto? Anansi alika kutamela poto ya lizupa yetezi butali kwa mukokoto wahae, mi neitoba bunolo ahulu.

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.


Kabubebebe, afita fa halimu ya lots. Kono atuwela ni kunahana, “Neniswanela kuba ni butali bo kaufela, kono mwanake na talifile kunifita!”Anansi na nyemile ahulu ka taba ye mi sa yumba poto ya lizupa fafasi kuzwelelela kwa 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.


Yapwaceha ya liyemba fafasi. Butali neli bwa mutu kaufela kuikabela. Mi kona batu monobazibezi ku lima, ku luka litino, kupanga lika za lisipi ni lika zen’wi ze baziba batu 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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