The Son's Task

[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

The Son's Task

Once upon a time, a terrible famine struck a village, and everyone had to fend for himself. One day, father Nodou went into the forest and captured an animal to eat. Back at his house, he gave it to his wife and then went to socialize and relax at the village meeting place. But his wife did not know what to do with the animal and sent her son Abdou to his father to ask him if she should prepare the entire animal or only a portion.

At the Mosque, Abdou found that his father was not alone, and he knew better than to alert everyone to the animal that his father had captured. He looked his father right in the eyes for an instant and then said knowingly,

“Father, what are you staring at like that? Mother said that she needs you at the house.” The other men, who had understood nothing, murmured,

“What an impolite child.” But the father who had understood completely took his knife out of his pocket, lifted it up, and pretended to chase his son while throwing his knife and yelling,

“If I had caught you I would have cut you in two!” The son picked up the knife and took it to his mother and explained that she should cut the animal into two parts and prepare half.


Yaral sa doom bes dina ñew.
“Educate your children because a day will come…”