Ethiopian Folktales

Narrated by Daniel Legesse

Once upon a time there was a man called Aleke Gebre Hanna, and his wife was called Woizero^{Woizero is Amharic for Mrs. Commonly in Ethiopia married women do not take their husband’s surname.} Mesengesh. One day Mesengesh was cooking their dinner stew, and her husband was waiting for dinner beside her. As she made the stew she used to test the progress now and then with a small stirring stick called mamasiye. Finally, Aleke was disappointed and he said, “Mesengesh, if that is our dinner, let me come up with my staff and join you.”