Fary the Donkey

[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

Fary the Donkey

A long long time ago the peninsula of Cap Vert was almost entirely covered by a very dense forest. The only mode of land transport was the donkey. Every year, Mory the Woodcutter from the far-off and peaceful town of Cayor loaded wood, mortar, and calabashes to sell to the Lébou people. Throughout his trip he also transported fish to the continental villages. His donkey worked night and day and became very thin. At the end of the trip the master heavily loaded his donkey with seashells to re-sell upon his return.

On his way home, a few hours away from his village, Mory became very tired and stopped under a large Baobab tree, sat down, and fell asleep. With the heavy load still on its back the donkey grazed on some scattered blades of grass. At this moment the angel of the donkeys descended from the sky and suggested that the donkey take revenge on his master.

“I know your master very well,” he began. “With the fruits of your labor he will marry a beautiful woman and you will die of hunger before the first rain.” At this the donkey jumped up and his load crashed to the ground. He turned his long ears towards the angel and opened his eyes wide and accepted the proposition without hesitation. The angel continued,

“I will transform you into a beautiful young woman and return you directly to the village. A family that has just settled near the village entrance will adopt you. Mory will come and ask your hand in marriage and you can get your revenge as you wish.”

The newly-arrived young woman found her adoptive family and took the name Fary. In the village people talked of her beauty and men came from all over the village to court her. Meanwhile, Mory searched everywhere for his donkey but eventually concluded that it had probably died of hunger somewhere. He ended his search and decided to go court the newly-arrived woman.

He went to meet Angel and her family and, with his profits from the coast, he surpassed all the other suitors’ offers. He soon obtained her hand in marriage and a few days later she moved in to the house of her new husband.


As the days passed, Fary meticulously prepared her master's ruin to ensure that she would never again have to return to the coast. At the same time, Mame Gagnado, an old woodcutting woman and a guardian of tradition, followed Fary very closely. Eventually she consulted the cauris shells, which were frequently used to uncover the truth, and discovered that the stranger was a donkey who was preparing to do harm to her former master. The old woman decided to go directly to her grandson Mory before it was too late.

She arrived at the house, said a cordial hello to the family, got Mory alone and asked, “Why did you get married without telling your grandmother?”

“People talked about it so much that I thought the whole world knew about my marriage,” he responded. The old woman continued,

“The woman you just married is not really a person and hopes to do you harm. If her plan succeeds you will disappear permanently from this world.” Mory jumped up, put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out two kola nuts and offered them to his grandmother, and asked,

“What can I do now?” After thanking him at length for the nuts, Mame Gagnado responded,

“The truth will be revealed to you if, before going to sleep tonight, you caress your wife while singing the following song:

Fary danganli danganli doufé Fary ndaw!
Fary mi thi dé gui mbamyé doundanivo tha te nieuw!
Do nitèye mbanga do nitèye mbamga! (1)

That same night, before going to sleep, Mory caressed his wife and began to sing the song. Fary immediately interrupted him and said,

“If you want our marriage to continue stop singing right now!” Mory then began singing even more beautifully and watched as from head to toe Fary was transformed into a donkey which looked disturbingly like his own. Seeing that his grandmother had been correct he suddenly understood an ancient Wolof proverb:



“Mak matna bayi thi ab deuk”
The elders will always have their place in the village


(1) Fary, the animal I ride, the animal I ride, this one here is not my little Fary!
Fary who lives around the pond disappeared only to return!
You are not a person but a donkey!