Ethiopian Folktales

Narrated by Daniel Legesse

Once upon a time, Emperor Haile Selassie and President Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya were watching the football match between their national teams. The game was over without scoring goals by either team. Finally the referee decided that the two emperors would act as goalkeeper.

First Jomo Kenyatta acted as goalkeeper and the Ethiopian Emperor as the person who kicked a penalty. And the Ethiopian Emperor scored a goal. Now it was the Kenyan Emperor’s turn and the Ethiopian Emperor to be goalkeeper.

The Kenyan Emperor started running from the other goal all the way down the field to build up his speed and the Ethiopian Emperor was afraid and ran away and the Kenyan Emperor scored.

Haile Selassie was asked, “Why did you run away?”

“We Ethiopians save ourselves from bullets, let alone balls.”