African Food and Art

This blog explores the wisdom of African proverbs, the depth of folklore, the beauty of art, the stories of history, and the flavors of timeless African food recipes.

Iniko’s Make Believe Kindness African Short Story Folklore

Iniko’s make-believe kindness African Folklore is a story about Iniko who pretends to be a river that flows into a sea of generosity but, that is something he is not, generous.


In this African folklore, pretending to be generous hurts far more than a punch to the face bringing with it more pain than just saying no in the beginning.


Iniko’s Make Believe Kindness African Short Story Folklore
Iniko’s Make Believe Kindness African Short Story Folklore
African Folklore

Iniko’s Make Believe Kindness African Short Story Folklore


 Nuru asked her husband Iniko to attend to the food on the fire while she went to fetch water. 

 On her return, she found her husband skimming off the stew from the top of the pot. After he filled a calabash high with stew, he hid it inside the house.

Nuru did not let him know that she had seen him and went into the house, poured the stew her husband took from the pot back into the stew pot. 

 She then returned the calabash to her husband secret hiding place.

At dinner, when Iniko, trusting in what he hid, said to his wife "give me only a little and let our children have plenty," she said to him "abdntsa ate bil- guro bigela gullemrni, father, don’t call spray spring!" 

 He did not understand what this meant until he went to eat what he had put aside for himself, and then found the calabash empty.
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