Carly, one of the most awesome people I got to meet this summer. She brought these very cool puppets with her and a story that we put on for Big AHOPE'S awards ceremony. Carly let me take home the story as I plan to share it with my students.
Once, in a village deep in the heart of Africa, there lived the great chief Abebe and his kind and beautiful daughter, Kwelanga. She had come to the age where she was ready to marry. The chief announced that any suitor who could pass his test of strength could marry the kind Kwelanga. Young men traveled from far and wide- King's sons, prince's with land and riches came on horseback but each time left with their head hung low for not having successfully passed the king's challenge. Kwelanga quietly watched the suitors come and go and said not a word.
In a far, distant village there lived a boy who had heard of Kwelanga's good heart and beauty. He told his father he wished to go and try his luck at winning the hand of Kwelanga. But his father replied "Wah!- We have no land, we have no birr to offer, do not be a fool to think you could succeed." But Zamo listened to his heart and traveled 3 days and 3 nights to the village of Chief Abebe and Kwelanga.
When Zamo arrived in the village, he bowed low to the chief who asked, "Why do you come here, have you lost your way?"
"I have come from very far to accept your challenge, and I wish to marry your daughter, Kwelanga."
"Wah!" said the Chief "but you are a mere peasant, the others were sons of kings and still could not pass my tests."
"I wish to try" Zamo bravely replied.
At that moment, Kwelanga appeared. She was carrying her gourd for water down to the river and hummed a sweet tune as she walked along. She turned and saw Zamo and felt a smile cross her face and a happiness fill her heart that she had not known before. Kwelanga went back to her room and waited to see what would happen.
"Your first challenge will be to cut down this forest of trees with this ax. All must fall by nightfall or you will have failed."
Zamo immediately went to work chopping at the trees, but the ax was so dull! He looked out at the forest of trees and began to lose hope. Surely it was impossible to cut down all the trees with this dull ax. Just then he heard a strange and beautiful song:
"Tall tree, strong tree
Stay tall not too long tree
lay low for Zamo
Bow your heads low."
At that, with each swing of his ax, tree after tree fell and Zamo stacked them neatly outside Chief Abebe's home. And when the Chief saw what he had done, he said "Wah! Surely this test was too easy! I shall think of one harder than this. For now you may rest and I will see you at sunrise."
TO BE CONTINUED....
No comments:
Post a Comment