Ethiopian Folktales

Narrated by Doyo Huka

Once upon a time there was a traveller who walked a long, long way. After travelling for many days, he became very thirsty.

So as he was walking by a hut, he stopped and asked the lady inside, “How’s the water? Do you have any water inside?” without exchanging greetings.

And the old lady replied, “Well. How are you? Are you well? You must be very thirsty if you ask for water without even exchanging greetings.”

So the traveller said, “Well, if you say that, and you realise how thirsty I am, you must be a very perceptive person.”

She said, “I am, but unfortunately I can’t give you any water. The reason is that my husband needs a lot of water because he castrates donkeys and even though he doesn’t wash his hands every day we’re saving it all to wash him when he dies.”

And the traveller responds, “You must be very cruel not to give a thirsty traveller a drop of water.”

And she said, “Listen, man from Gambela (you look as if you come from Gambela, which is in the south east of Ethiopia), how dare you call me cruel when nobody ever has. All the children and the cattle and even the goats have never called me cruel.”

And he said, “Well, maybe the goats live very peacefully. I feel that you’re cruel and your speech is also cruel.”

And she said, “Talking about cruelty, it’s only friendly people who caress each other and only the cruel strangers stand at the door of the hut. Why don’t you come in?”

So he said, “Your presence affects me, and everybody likes to praise different people and I’d like to come in and praise you.”

So he went in and they lived happily ever after.