African Food and Art

Thank you to our latest donor, Tony. Thank you, Tony. We were able to purchase three new stainless steel pots to continue our cooking and teaching heritage.

Smartest Person in the Room African Folklore

Crocodile thought himself to be the smartest person in the room but as we shall soon see in this African Folklore he was wrong.

Thinking yourself to be the smartest person in the room is usually a big mistake.


Crocodile thought himself to be the smartest person in the room

Smartest Person in the Room African Folklore

Crocodile and a Gazelle lived together with their wives and families in the same town.

One day the Crocodile said, "My good friend Gazelle, let us go and buy some drums in the Oko country."

"All right," replied the Gazelle; but where are we to get the money from?"

"I have the money!” answered the Crocodile.

They started out on their shopping trip and when they walked a little way Crocodile snarled.

"Wait here! I must return to our town, as I have forgotten something."

The Crocodile returned to town, went to the Gazelle’s wife and said, "My friend has sent me for his children."

Mrs. Gazelle gave them to him, and putting them into a bag, he returned to the place where he left the Gazelle.

They started again, and when they had traveled a long distance the Crocodile saw some honey in a hole in one of the trees, whereupon he said to the Gazelle: "Wait for me here while I go to eat the honey, but you must not undo the bag and look inside!"

The Gazelle was left to guard the sack, which he quickly untied and looking in, he exclaimed: "Why, my children, what is going on here!" He put the bag on his back and hurried home, gave his children back to his wife, and went to the Crocodile's house and said, "My friend has sent me for his children."

Mrs. Crocodile gave them to him. Gazelle put the children in the bag and returned quickly to the spot where the Crocodile had left him.

After a time the Crocodile arrived, licking the honey off his lips, and picking up the bag, away they went again on their shopping journey.

By and by they reached Oko country and picked out two beautiful hand-carved drums.

When Crocodile went to pay for them, he whispered to the drum maker "Don't undo the bag now, there are some gazelles in it for payment for your drums."

As they were returning home, they tried the drums. The Crocodile beat a tune and

sang, "Stupid people go on journeys." For the Crocodile thought,

the Gazelle had helped to sell his own children for drums. The Gazelle then beat a tune and sang: "At the place where they ate the honey they left their bag of wisdom."

The Crocodile did not know he had exchanged his own children for drums for he thought himself smarter than anyone else. On their way home, they played and sang in many towns, and received money and presents for their entertainment.

On reaching their town the Gazelle hurried to his house and sent off his wife and children to hide in the woods.

Crocodile went to his house and looking around, he asked his wife, "Where are my children?" His wife answered, "Why you sent the Gazelle for them and now you ask

'Where are the children?

"The Crocodile went in a great rage to the Gazelle's house, but the Gazelle ran away, and as he was escaping, he cried out, "I am the wise Gazelle who outwitted crocodile who thinks himself smarter than everyone else!"


More short folklore stories from Africa to make you fall in love with myths and legends again from the motherland.

  1. Why the bunny rabbit has wiggly slits for a nose
  2. Love Takes No Less Than Everything Marriage Folklore
  3. Hunters Attack Cowards Tell the Story
  4. One Do Wrong All Get Punished
  5. Mighty Little Hedgehog
Getting to Know Africa

Historical African Country Name
Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa
How many countries does Africa have?

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Week’s Best African Culture Posts

What is the difference between ugali and fufu

Image
How to make the popular African recipes Ugali and Fufu and what is the difference.  Ugali is a starch dish in Kenya and Tanzania made of fine cornmeal cooked in boiling water into a soft dough. Fufu is a thick, dough-like West African food made by boiling then pounding a starchy vegetable such as yam, plantain, or cassava or a mixture of starchy vegetables. The main difference between fufu and ugali is fufu is boiled first then pounded while ugali is simply boiled. Ugali recipe. Easy Ugali Recipe Prep time 5 minutes Cook time 30 minutes Total time 30 minutes Ingredients 4 cups finely ground cornmeal 8 cups water Directions Heat water to boiling in a saucepan. Slowly pour cornmeal into boiling water stirring continuously. Add more cornmeal if necessary until it is thick as soft bread dough. Serve immediately with vegetables, stew, or any dish you would use a spoon with to soak up the sauce, ugali is purposely bland tasting on its own. What is the difference between ugali and
Learn More About Africa

Ethiopian Midwest American Hotdish

Image
Our Ethiopian hot dish combines Ethiopian cooking with classic Minnesota Midwest casserole meal. The hot dish’s origins are a product of settlers traditions in Midwest America dating back to the early 20th century. A hot-dish or casserole is a one-pan meal that traditionally includes a combination of starch like potatoes, pasta, or rice, ground meat, vegetables, and a creamy canned soup base, all topped with crunchy goodness like breadcrumbs or tater tots. The concept of hot dish became popular in the Upper Midwest, particularly in states like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, in the 1930s and 1940s. This period was marked by economic challenges, including the Great Depression. The need for economical and filling meals led to the creation of dishes that could be stretched to feed many people using simple, affordable ingredients . Hot dishes became synonymous with potlucks, church suppers, and social gatherings. These events were central to rural and small-town communities, where
Learn More About Africa

Top 20 Largest Countries in Africa

Image
African Country by Size List. Africa Which are the top twenty largest, smallest, and territorial country in Africa by land area? 1. The continent of Africa is the world’s second largest based on land area and population just after Asia. 2. Top five largest countries of Africa are Algeria, Congo Democratic Republic of the, Sudan, Libya and Chad. 3. Top five smallest African countries and territories are Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Saint Helena and Mayotte. African Country from largest to smallest Area sq mile Area sq km Algeria 919,595 2,381,740 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 905,568 2,345,410 Sudan 718,723 1,861,484 Libya 679,362 1,759,540 Chad 495,755 1,284,000 Niger 489,191 1,267,000 Angola 481,354 1,246,700 Mali 478,767 1,240,000 South Africa 471,011 1,219,912 Ethiopia 435,186 1,127,127 Mauritania 397,95
Learn More About Africa

Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off

Image
Neck elongation rings how to put on and take off. Idzila are Ndebele wives traditionally wear rings around the neck as a status symbol and wear rings around the arms, legs, and neck. Wearing Neck Rings. For centuries, married South African Ndebele tribes’ women saw wearing heavy rings around their neck as an honored status symbol. Neck rings are any form of stiff necklaces worn around the neck of an individual. The neck rings are usually made of copper or brass. During initiation, girls wear an array of colorfully beaded hoops called izigolwan around their legs, arms, waist, and neck. After marriage, the Ndebele wife would wear copper and brass rings around her arms, legs, and neck, symbolizing her bond and faithfulness to her husband, once her home was built. Idzila rings were believed to have strong ritual powers. Husbands used to provide their wives with rings; the richer the husband, the more rings the wife would wear. These outward symbols can be removed only in ca
Learn More About Africa