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Ifo No Busi Waymo Ga Ne? What Vusi's sister said

Written by Nina Orange

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Plan Niger - Projet NECS - Usaid

Language Zarma

Level Level 4

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Susubay nda hinay fo ra, Busi kaayi na a ce. A ne: “Busi, ka ga konda gungurey wo ni hayrey se. I ga ba ngey ma te gaato ce-kayante fo, ni wayme hiija ma ga.”

Early one morning Vusi’s granny called him, “Vusi, please take this egg to your parents. They want to make a large cake for your sister’s wedding.”


Kaŋ Busi go ga koy nga hayrey do, a to nda arwasu hinka do kaŋ go ga tuuriize yaŋ kosu. Arwasu fa na gunguro haamay ga ta a ga, ga catu tuuri-ɲa fo boŋ. Gunguro bagu.

On his way to his parents, Vusi met two boys picking fruit. One boy grabbed the egg from Vusi and shot it at a tree. The egg broke.


Busi ne: “Ifo no ni te wo?” Gunguro din gaato no i ga ba i ma te nd’a, ay waymo hiija ma ga. Ifo no ay wayme ga ne, da i mana gaato te a hiija ga?

“What have you done?” cried Vusi. “That egg was for a cake. The cake was for my sister’s wedding. What will my sister say if there is no wedding cake?”


Arwasey mana ma kaani nda fooro kaŋ dumi i te Busi se. Ira afo ne: “Iri sinda gaata se safari koyne. Amma ma ta goobu ne ga kond’a ni wayme se.” Busi ye ga nga fonda di.

The boys were sorry for teasing Vusi. “We can’t help with the cake, but here is a walking stick for your sister,” said one. Vusi continued on his journey.


Fonda boŋ, a kubay nda alboro hinka kaŋ go ga fu cina. Alboro ne a se: “Ni si iri no ni goobu kaso wo iri ma daŋ iri fuwo ga?” I na goobo ta ga daŋgey fuwo ga, a ceeri.

Along the way he met two men building a house. “Can we use that strong stick?” asked one. But the stick was not strong enough for building, and it broke.


Busi ne i se: “Ifo no araŋ te wo?” A ye ga ne: “Goobo din, ay wayme wane no. Tuuriize kaakey no na ay gaato gunguro bagu, wo-din se no i na goobo din no ay se. Gaata mo ay wayme jiija wane no. Sohõ kay gunguri si, gaato si, gooro kulu mo si. Ifo no ay wayme ga ne?”

“What have you done?” cried Vusi. “That stick was a gift for my sister. The fruit pickers gave me the stick because they broke the egg for the cake. The cake was for my sister’s wedding. Now there is no egg, no cake, and no gift. What will my sister say?”


Cinakey mana ma kaani nda goobo ceeriyaŋo. Afa ne: “Iri sinda gaata se safari, amma ta subu ne ga kond’a ga no ni wayme se.” Busi na nga fonda di.

The builders were sorry for breaking the stick. “We can’t help with the cake, but here is some thatch for your sister,” said one. And so Vusi continued on his journey.


Fonda boŋ, Busi di alfari fon da nga haw-ɲa. Haw-ɲaŋo ne: “Ni si ay no ni subu hanno wo ga kayna?” Haw-ɲaŋo ma subo kaani kala a na akulu ŋwa.

Along the way, Vusi met a farmer and a cow. “What delicious thatch, can I have a nibble?” asked the cow. But the thatch was so tasty that the cow ate it all!


Busi ne: “Ifo no ni te wo?” a ye ga ne: “Subu din ay wayme wane no. Cinakey ka a no ay se. Zama i na ay goobo ceeri kaŋ tuuriize kaakey na ay no. I na a no ay se zama i na ay wayme gaata gunguro bagu. Gata mo ay wayme hiija wane no. Sohõ kay, gunguri si, gaato si, subu si, gooro kulu si no. Ifo no ay wayme ga ne?”

“What have you done?” cried Vusi. “That thatch was a gift for my sister. The builders gave me the thatch because they broke the stick from the fruit pickers. The fruit pickers gave me the stick because they broke the egg for my sister’s cake. The cake was for my sister’s wedding. Now there is no egg, no cake, and no gift. What will my sister say?”


Haw-ɲaŋo mana ma nga gunde-futa kaani. Alfaro ne koociya ma di haw-ɲaŋo ga kond’a waymo se. Busi na nga fonda gana.

The cow was sorry she was greedy. The farmer agreed that the cow could go with Vusi as a gift for his sister. And so Vusi carried on.


Amma curkusay waate, hawo koma ga ye nga koyo kwaara. Busi mo daray saajo ra. A mana tar ga ka waymo hiija do. Borey kaŋ i burɲe sintin ga ŋa.

But the cow ran back to the farmer at supper time. And Vusi got lost on his journey. He arrived very late for his sister’s wedding. The guests were already eating.


Busi ne: “Mate no ay ga te?” “Haw-ɲaŋo kaŋ koma, no alfaro na ay no gat a subu. Cinakey na no subu zama i na goobo kaŋ tuuriize kaakey na ay no ceeri. Ngey mo na ay no goobo zama i na ay gaata gunguro bagu. Gaata mo hiija wane no. Sohõ, gunguri si, gaato si, gooro kulu mo si no.”

“What shall I do?” cried Vusi. “The cow that ran away was a gift, in return for the thatch the builders gave me. The builders gave me the thatch because they broke the stick from the fruit pickers. The fruit pickers gave me the stick because they broke the egg for the cake. The cake was for the wedding. Now there is no egg, no cake, and no gift.”


Busi waymo kay ga laasaabu kayna, ga a ne: “Busi, ay kayne, goorey din ga saba ay ga. Gaata mo mana za ga kay. Iri kulu go ne, ay ma kaani. Sohõ koy ga ni jingar bankaaray daŋ ga ka bato do.” Busi te ya-din.

Vusi’s sister thought for a while, then she said, “Vusi my brother, I don’t really care about gifts. I don’t even care about the cake! We are all here together, I am happy. Now put on your smart clothes and let’s celebrate this day!” And so that’s what Vusi did.


Written by: Nina Orange
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Plan Niger - Projet NECS - Usaid
Language: Zarma
Level: Level 4
Source: What Vusi's sister said from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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