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.

Why the Male Robin has a Red Breast African Folktale

The robin is a small bird with red around its mouth and red on its breast. The female has no red on her the breast, and the following African is the folktale legend explains why.


Cutest African Folktale Ever, Why the Male Robin has a Red Breast African Folktale
Cutest African Folktale Ever,

 Why the Male Robin has a Red Breast African Folktale
One day the Robin and his wife found that they had no red camwood powder to make themselves beautiful, so the husband prepared for a journey to the market to buy some. 

He was a long time on the road, but at last reached the market only to find that all the red camwood had been sold. He tried one trader after another with no success, for all had sold out, but one finally said, "I have none to sell, but I can give you a small piece, enough for yourself."

The kind trader gave Robin a small piece, and to protect the red camwood from the sun, the Robin put it in his mouth, as he wanted to take it safely home to his wife. 

But, as he traveled the red camwood melted dripping out of the corners of his mouth, down his throat, and came out round his beak and down his chest to his feathers, and ever since then the male Robins has had a red mouth and red breast.


Did you know?
Camwood Powder also is known as Osun is a shrubby, hard-wooded West African tree. It is a red powder that comes from the heart or core of the camwood tree. It is used as a beauty treatment. The powder is made by grinding two pieces of the camwood together. The red paste resulting from the friction is dried, pounded and put into a cloth, and after a person has bathed, and rubbed with oil and dabbed on the body.


In everyday life African folklore teaches lessons with ancient words of wisdom.


Cutest African Folktale Ever, Why the Male Robin has a Red Breast African Folktale
Cutest African Folktale Ever, Why the Male Robin has a Red Breast African Folktale



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