In a village lived Ijapa the Turtle and Adjà the Dog. These two friends were the only animals that lived together with men, women and children.
One day, while they were walking, they came across Yawa, the oldest woman in the village. She was carrying a very heavy bundle of wood on her back and had difficulty walking. Adjà, the Dog, greeted her:
ADJA THE DOG: “Hello grandma! »
YAWA: “Hello my child!”
Taken by pity, Adjà the Dog proposed to his friend Ijapa the Tortoise to help the old lady carry her fagot home. Ijapa replied:
IJAPA THE TURTLE: “Did you look at me well? You imagine me, Ijapa, pretty as I am, carrying a big bundle on my back to accompany such a slow old woman. No, I can’t waste my time! I’m sorry. »
Then she turned her back to the Dog.
Shocked by his friend’s reaction, the dog replied:
ADJA THE DOG: “Ijapa, can you hear yourself talking? ” and whispering in Ijapa’s ear “You know very well that tradition asks us to be respectful towards the elderly. »
But Ijapa the Turtle continued on her way, leaving behind her Yawa, the old woman, and her friend Adjà the Dog, to whom she called as she walked away:
IJAPA THE TURTLE: “Go ahead, I’m not stopping you, go help Mr. Luggage Carrier. I have better things to do. »
It was thus that Adjà the Dog alone helped the old woman to carry her fagot.
The old lady was touched by the behavior of the Dog:
YAWA: “Thank you very much my child.
After having deposited the bundle Adjà the Dog asked him:
ADJA THE DOG: “Mom, can I do anything else for you? »
YAWA: “My child, you have done enough. I would like to reward you, come with me. »
She brought Adjà the Dog into her home.
YAWA: “Here are three drums: a large, a medium and a small. Choose the one you like the most and bring it to me. »
Already the Dog complied. He opted for the small drum which he gave to Yawa.
She liked that he chose the smaller drum, then encouraged him to stay humble all his life. She added:
YAWA: “Whenever, I mean whenever you get hungry, just beat the drum. It will be like a sign that you will send to me and, automatically, the food will appear. »
Adjà Le Chien bowed, thanked her several times and went peacefully home.
A day came when the food ran out. While the provisions of the villagers had run out, Adjà the Dog lacked nothing. He scrupulously followed old Yawa’s instructions and ate his fill every day.
Ijapa the Turtle and Adjà the Dog were no longer seeing each other. Until the day when the rumor spread in the village that Adjà the Dog had received a gift from an old woman which allowed him to no longer suffer from hunger. Ijapa the Turtle decided to go and check the information for herself.
IJAPA THE TURTLE: “Hello my very dear friend Adjà! »
ADJA THE DOG: “Hello Ijapa, what do I owe the honor of your visit? »
IJAPA: “I’m hungry and I heard you had food. In the name of our friendship, Adjà, could you give me some? »
Already the Dog, who was good, explained to the tortoise how he had received this present.
He tapped the drum several times and food appeared in abundance.
While eating, the tortoise said to the dog:
IJAPA THE TURTLE: “But my friend, why did you choose the smallest drum? We had to take the biggest one so that all the villagers could enjoy it! »
But in his heart of hearts, Ijapa the Turtle held another discourse:
IJAPA THE TURTLE (to herself): “Take the smallest drum, kpô! Me Ijapa, I would have chosen the biggest in order to open a restaurant and sell this food to all the villagers. »
Ijapa the Turtle then decided to go to the old lady to steal the big drum. She thought she was smart, forgetting that only the old lady could give each drum its magic power. Once at home, Ijapa the Turtle closed her doors, her windows, lined up her plates, and began to beat the drum.
Unfortunately for her, this drum contained an evil genie who hit her, hit her, and hit her again. She called for help but no one came to her aid.
It only remained for her to flee, her back bruised by the blows she had received.
Legend has it that the numerous wounds formed while healing the shell that we know of him today. The scars of the fractures condemned her forever to move around like a very old woman.
Africa in story is a series created by the NGO Des Livres Pour Tous – Côte d’Ivoire and the collective Making Waves, in partnership with RFI. This project has received support from the “Access Culture” scheme of the French Institute in Paris and the French Development Agency (AFD), the “ACP-EU Culture for West Africa – Awa” program from the French Institute and the Kôrè Cultural Centre, the “Agir” system of the Department of Seine-Saint-Denis and the Île-de-France Region.
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