Deceptive Wisdom: The Tale of Hyena Gbongo and the Monkeys

1. Tales from Beneath the Baobab Features of Fables and Parables

2. . The Hyena and the Monkeys The Hyena Gbongo screamed with hunger, her stomach growling with pain. Desperate for food, she decided at last to meet with Hyena Mygale (a wise, trusted Oracle) and learn from his wisdom. ‘Take a drum, a pot and some fire, and go to find the monkeys’, the Oracle advised.The Hyena Gbongo thought for a moment, then, with a sly grin, took a drum and a pot and went out into the woods. Carefully, she filled her big, black boiling pot full of water, lit a small fire and began to beat her drum. It did not take long before the monkeys heard the enchanting rhythm and started to arrive. ‘Approach, friends, approach’, the Hyena Gbongo chanted persuasively. ‘Come, cook in my big, black boiling pot and you shall resist both disease and the deadly arrows of man’. View features

3. . Captivated, no-one thought to question the word of the Hyena, and one-by-one the monkeys came closer. All except one, Kpa, leader of the pack. He hung back from the group, a knowing smile spreading across his face. He had heard of the Hyena’s tricks before. ‘Come my friends, and enter here’ Hyena Gbongo called, unable to believe her luck. She held the lid to the big, black, boiling pot high above her head and danced with joy. The monkeys rushed towards the pot and, as quick as a flash, the Hyena Gbongo slammed down the lid and stirred the fire. The monkeys were trapped, and had no way to escape. All that is, except Kpa, who had already fled towards his home. Learn, dear friends, that the bush is a vast area without law. Think carefully, be wary of predators and alert to danger. With intelligence you shall survive. View features