Reading Notes: South African Folktales, Part A

The Lost Message

I loved the explanation that this story provides! It describes the varieties of ants and why each group has its own way of living. Ultimately, different types of ants exist because they brainstormed various methods for evading their predators. The species as a whole could never achieve unity, since the beetle, the "unity messenger," never arrived to them. Thus, there differences exist to this day. I think this would be a great story if translated into other characters. For example, I think that parallels could be made with the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. Also, an interesting thought would be groups of humans experimenting with their skin colors based on where they lived and the environmental conditions, ultimately leading to a lack of unity.

The Monkey's Fiddle

This story contains many trickster elements. I almost noticed hints of themes from Arabian Nights. Just as Scheherazade's stories become increasingly intertwined and complex, the judgments in this story followed a similar pattern. I like two particular things about this story. One is that the monkey uses his own wit to escape his difficult situation. It would be funny to translate this into a modern story, where an initially innocent person is condemned by a court because of selfish others, and because of his own intelligence, he ends up escaping! Another aspect that I like about this story is its explanation for the differing habitats of all these animals. They each reside in different parts of the world because they were trying to escape the music-playing of the monkey! This is almost an origin story. It almost makes me think of how some pirates have creatively escaped their own hangings, through distraction and ingenuity.


Bibliography:
"South-African Folktales: The Lost Message" by James Honey; online link
"South-African Folktales: The Monkey's Fiddle" by James Honey; online link

Image Information: Two black ants standing face to face.
Link: Wikimedia