The tale of a spider
Hello boys and girls, this is Mr. Namse.
Today I’ll be reading from the book, Anansi the spider. It is a Ghanaian folktale and I will be reading excerpts from some parts of the book. So enjoy it as we go with Anansi on an adventure. Anansi is a spider to the Ashanti people. In Ashanti land, people love this story of Kwaku Anansi.
Powered by RedCircle
Time was, Anansi had six sons. First son was called See Trouble. He had the gift of seeing trouble a long way off. Second son was Road Builder. Third son was River Drinker. Next son was Game Skinner. Another son was Stone Thrower, and the last of the sons was Cushion. He was very soft. All were good sons of Anansi.
One time, Anansi went on a long journey far, far from. He got lost. He fell into trouble. What kind of trouble did Anansi fall into? Let’s read and find out more. Back home was son, Sea Trouble. “Father is in danger”, he cried. He knew it. And he told the other sons. Road Builder said, “Follow me”, and off he went, making a road. They went fast, those six brothers went to help Anansi.
Where is father now? Fish has swallowed him. Anansi is inside fish. Anansi is in big trouble, swallowed by fish. How can he be rescued? His two sons River Drinker and Game Skinner get him out of that trouble, but that’s not the end. Let’s read some other parts and see what happens after that.
A falcon took Anansi up into the sky. Quick! Now, Stone Thrower. The stone hit the falcon, and as it fell through the sky, Cushion came under to give him a soft landing. So that’s how all of Anansi’s sons combined to save Anansi from trouble, from the fish and from the Falcon.
What happens next? What is this? A great globe of light, all mysterious and beautiful. I shall give this to my sons, said Anansi. To the son who rescued me, but which son of six deserves the prize?
“Nyame, can you help me? Oh, Nyame”, called Anansi. For Ashanti people, Nyame is a god of all things. Anansi asked this of Nyame. Please hold the beautiful globe of light, until I know which son should have it for his own. And so they tried to decide which son deserved the prize. They tried, but they could not decide.
They argued all night. Nyame saw this. The god of all things. He took the beautiful white light, and put it up in the sky. Until this day, the beautiful white thing – the moon, shines at night, very bright for us to see. And that is the story of Kwaku Anansi.
I’ve just read excerpts from the book titled Anansi the Spider, by Gerald McDermott. So look for a bookshop nearby to get a copy and read the full story. Thank you for listening, until next time. Bye! Have fun and keep on reading.
Thanks for listening
Thank you for listening to today’s story. You can send in books or stories you would like me to read. Make a recommendation. Send your recommendations to namse.udosen@ayambalitcast.com. And if you like the podcast, tell your friends, parents, and teachers to review it on iTunes, Podchaser and Spotify.
Thank you.
