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Anansi ne Mpoto ya Maana Anansi and Wisdom

Written by Ghanaian folktale

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Ruth Kapamba, Mwitila Ntabo

Language Kaonde

Level Level 3

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Kala kene bantu kechi bayukile bintu biji byonse ne. Kechi bayukile byakubyala bijimwa, kusona bivwalo nangwa byakubunda byela ne. Ka lesa kacheeche ka jizhina ja Nyame kaajinga mwiulu kokaajinga namaana onse apano ntanda. Ake kalesa kalamine ano maana mumpoto yakubumba nabuchimba.

Long long ago people didn’t know anything. They didn’t know how to plant crops, or how to weave cloth, or how to make iron tools. The god Nyame up in the sky had all the wisdom of the world. He kept it safe in a clay pot.


Juuba jimo, Nyame walangulukilepo kumupa Anansi aya mpoto ya maana. Nanchi kimye kyonse Anansi kyoatajilengamo mumpoto yakubumba, wafunjijileko kintu kyakatataka kikwabo. Kino kyamulengelanga bingi kusangalala!

One day, Nyame decided that he would give the pot of wisdom to Anansi. Every time Anansi looked in the clay pot, he learned something new. It was so exciting!


Namambo akwitemwa, Anansi walangulukile amba, “Nsakufya bulongo aye mpoto peulu ya kichi kyalepa. Kuuba bino kukalengela amba aye mpoto yamaana onse ikekaletu yami bunke!” Anansi wazhingile lonzhi walepa wakashila ne ku mpoto ya maana kabiji nekukashila kujivumo. Watendekele ne kukanjila ku kichi. Kyamushupile bingi kukanjila kukichi mambo mpoto yamukozhezhenga mumanungo pakukanjila kimye kyonse.

Greedy Anansi thought, “I’ll keep the pot safe at the top of a tall tree. Then I can have it all to myself!” He spun a long thread, wound it round the clay pot, and tied it to his stomach. He began to climb the tree. But it was hard climbing the tree with the pot bumping him in the knees all the time.


Anansi kimye kyonse kyoakanjilanga kukichi, mwananji wamulume mwanyike waimananga munshi yakichi nakumona bibena kukanjila bashanji. Mwana wibepwizhe bashanji amba, “Nanchi kechi kyafwainwa kupeela kukanjila kukichi inge mwakashila mpoto munyuma nenyi?” Anansi waesekele kukashila mpoto yamaana munyuma kabiji kyamupelejileko bingi kukanjila.

All the time Anansi’s young son had been standing at the bottom of the tree watching. He said, “Wouldn’t it be easier to climb if you tied the pot to your back instead?” Anansi tried tying the clay pot full of wisdom to his back, and it really was a lot easier.


Muka kimyetu kacheeche wafikile ne peulu ya kichi. Bino waimene ne kulanguluka amba, “Amiwa nalangulukile namba yami nafwainwatu kwikala namaana onsetu, pano bino mwanami wamwekana kwikala namaana kunkila!” Panyuma yakulanguluka bino, Anansi wazhingijile bingi kabiji wataile mpoto yamaana munshi yakichi.

In no time he reached the top of the tree. But then he stopped and thought, “I’m supposed to be the one with all the wisdom, and here my son was cleverer than me!” Anansi was so angry about this that he threw the clay pot down out of the tree.


Mpoto yaponene panshi ne kulajika. Nanchi maana afumine mu mpoto kabiji muntu yense waikele na maana. Akino kyalengejile ne bantu kufunda byakujima, kusona byakuvwala, kubunda byela ne bikwabotu byobayuka kuuba.

It smashed into pieces on the ground. The wisdom was free for everyone to share. And that is how people learned to farm, to weave cloth, to make iron tools, and all the other things that people know how to do.


Written by: Ghanaian folktale
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Ruth Kapamba, Mwitila Ntabo
Language: Kaonde
Level: Level 3
Source: Anansi and Wisdom from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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