The Mice from Alia Diene

[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

The Mice from Alia Diene

A very long time ago, the white city named after the old Lébou Djaraf Alia Diene was uninhabited. Because it was a Cassava plantation, became the home of various rodents, like Djinakh the mouse and his descendants. Then humans moved in and turned the fields into beautiful houses. This new cohabitation between the mice and the humans was not easy, but Djinakh’s family had already made their home there and hardly considered moving. In the absence of the Cassava fields the mice began adapting to the clothes kept in the bottom of closets and the supplies kept in the kitchens and stores of the city. One regularly heard cries signalling the presence of Djinakh’s family in a house.

For better attacking men and forcing them to leave their homes, Djinakh ordered the mice to begin making an infernal racket in the houses to prevent the inhabitants from sleeping at night. The men in turn used their toxic chemicals and some very sophisticated traps to try to eliminate Djinakh’s family. Just as they had adapted to their new food, the mice developed an immunity to the most toxic chemicals and learned how to circumvent even the most dangerous traps.

A tradesman named Maouloud had at this time just installed himself in the neighbourhood. Informed of the situation that prevailed in the neighbourhood, Maouloud employed El Hadj Mous the Cat, who had just returned from Mecca, as his guardian. When this information reached Djinakh, he called together all the members of his family to prepare to combat this new situation.




Djinakh opened the meeting by asking, “ Do you know the cat El Hadj Mous?” Mame Djinakh, the most elderly member of the family, declared,

“We have heard people speak of him but we have never seen him face to face. Legend has it that all of our ancestors who saw him did not see the next day.” The eldest child then responded,

“We don’t know him. As soon as you smell him you’re as good as dead.” Finally the youngest of Djinakh’s children spoke:

“El Hadj Mous comes from Mecca. He became wise, and as an El Hadj he must be a good Muslim. As such I don’t think that he will attack other creatures any more.” Djinakh responded wisely to his youngest,

“Mecca does not change the character of a cat!” He then continued for the rest, “It is sure that Mous is already here and that his family will arrive soon to join him. What is more, the men are starting to build with reinforced concrete and putting flagstones on their roofs, in their yards, and even all along the length of the roads. There is not any more earth to dig up and Mous’s family will soon invade the neighborhood. We must evacuate the closets, the stores, the kitchens and the corners. Sharpen your teeth and learn how to corrode the flagstones and the most solid walls, as they will be your new homes.

“The men, in seeking to decrease the weight of the houses and keep the temperature inside low, use hollow bricks in their construction. This will make your task much easier and your homes more secure. Under the flagstones in the yards and on the ground floors there is also earth that is easy to dig. The essential is to construct doors that are narrow and well hidden at the base of the walls and the flagstones. Be more vigilant.”




As the days passed, people stopped seeing Djinakh and his family but the same damage continued in the city. Maouloud was forced to get rid of El Hadj Mous and his family who began to wander in the streets of the neighbourhood. No longer feeling safe, Maouloud decided to break the flagstones and bury his savings. Unfortunately, he chose a spot right next to Djinakh’s well-hidden burrow.

A few days later, while going to pay for some merchandise, Maouloud went to get his bill for 10,000 Francs and found only a pile of tiny pieces of paper and Djinakh’s droppings. At this he took a hammer and pick, broke the flagstones, and dug until he discovered Djinakh. He grabbed him by the tail and said:

“With your tiny head, your pointed ears, your huge stomach and your over-stiff legs I could very well kill you, but I won’t…” But before he could finish his speech, Mous, who was watching from a corner, crouched down, leapt, grabbed Djinakh by the head, and disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.

Djinakh’s absence worried his family and the youngest child proposed that they should consult El Hadj Mous, whom he considered to be very wise. As soon as Mous saw the young child approaching he removed his turban and descended upon him. Before he could even remember his father’s advice and the legend of his ancestors, he was in the cat’s mouth.



Djiko ak borom pakh
Character never changes, one dies with it