e-Proceeding of the 4th Global Summit on Education 2016
LIAISING BETWEEN FABLES AND REALITIES IN AFRICAN LITERATURE:
REFLECTIONS ON KO BAABA WAAJANNO BIYUM IN BOLLE HIKIMAA DE
DAWA-SEE-DACCE E FULBE WOBBE
Mallam Adamu Babikkoi
Federal College of Education, Yola, Nigeria
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
Fables are often times children’s stories which feature animals as characters, with the ability to
speak and act as human. Fables are not just stories for whirling away time but stories meant to
teach morals or useful lessons to develop the child into achieving a balanced life in the future. Fables
are used particularly for the power of captivating the minds of the child to listen, to learn and to
retrieve easily. It is easier for the learner to retrieve information from a text whose contents are of
interest to him/her compared to the one he/she has less interest. It is therefore easier if we avail
the young with interesting fables in comprehension exercises, in essays and in some linguistic
drills. No doubt learner interest leads to more elaborate and deeper processing of expository texts.
It means therefore, individual interest is an important and critical in academic motivation and
learning. It is on these back drops that this paper x-rayed Ko baaba waajanno biyum, a fable in a
Fulfulde literature (DAWA-SEE-DACCE....) with a view to examining the eight characters portrayed
in it as means to achieving a balanced life as well a channel of effective language learning.
Keywords: African, Fables, Language, Learning
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1. Introduction
To say that the Fulbe people from time immemorial have a deep sense of what is wrong and what is
right is to say the least. Consequently, embedded in the oral traditions of the Fulbe are stories,
folktales, fables and proverbs used essentially for the purpose of inculcating good attitudes and
behaviours to the young generations as well as improving the linguistic competence of the young.
The stories are in various forms that are not only healthy and peaceful but are in themselves
schooling avenues for the younger ones. No doubt our forefathers knew very well that the
children of today are the adults of tomorrow and that the solutions to adult problems
essentially depend on the manner in which children are trained to face the challenges
of tomorrow. Consequently, steps are taken through fables to teach the culture of
honesty, creativity, hard work as well as nobility of character among the Fulbes. Has it ever
occurred to you that even the character in the wildest and poisonous animals such as a cobra can
teach you about achieving a balanced life? In life we never stop learning.
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According to dictionary.com (2015) a fable is a short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals
or inanimate objects as characters. Fables are therefore short stories meant to teach morals to the
younger generations featuring animals with the ability to act and speak like humans. From the Fables
children learned not to lie or steal, learned to restrict their egos, not to be greedy, and be hardworking. Furthermore, fables had real psychological benefits for the Pullo child as it taught them to
demonstrate good behaviour. For instance, in order to teach a Pullo child to avoid gossips, slander
and raining abuses at others, he/she is often asked to avoid behaving like the snake. Although a
snake may be wearing a nice skin it is always feared and killed by humans because of its venomous
mouth. It is quite evident that, African fables serve as a very important source for discovering African
diverse thoughts, relationship of Africans to environment and even the animals around them. Story
telling is the chat way that social and moral values are inculcated into children by elders in the
society. No doubt inculcating moral values through fables is effective as those actors of sound moral
character would be shown as beneficiaries for good behaviours.
There is no doubt that fables have been devised by our fore-fathers as one of the means of teaching
language, culture and moral especially to the younger ones. Fables have survived the test of time
and are found and used in almost all cultures of the world because all the cultures have a role in
training the young ones to be custodians of both culture, language and by extension all the heritage
of the given people. It is therefore an effective tool that has been in used not only as a wonderful
way to entertain and bond with children but a tool for educating the young generations linguistically.
The stories in fables provide an excellent way to teach kids about the consequences of good and bad
behaviour, the importance of team-working, and the rewards of courage and brevity. If we get
committed to providing bilingual versions of world fables children are no doubt going to be
globalized, in terms of appreciating cultures of other people the world over and that will bring about
respect for our diverse races, cultures and religious believes.
It is important to point out that in the Fulbe fables the style has been to feature any animal based on
its features, characters and behaviour as observed and obtained within the Fulbe community. It is
wrong to assume that animals’ behaviours are the same or that animals are treated in much the
same way all over the world. While dogs could be a pet to the royals, rich and commoners in the
west it is not the same among the Fulbe royal houses especially in Nigeria. In the Fulbe palaces dogs
are not kept either as pets or for security reason. The dogs are pets or guards mostly to the herders
and farmers.
On the origin of the Fulbe, Awogbade in Daudu (1995) asserts that they are a mixture of paternal
Arab and maternal African etymology. It was widely and traditionally believed among the Fulbe
that, Uqba bin Nafi, an Arab, married an African woman Bajjo Mango, through which the Fulbe
race descended. Meanwhile, on the estimated population of the Fulbe in Africa it seems reasonable
to accept an estimate of 7 to 8 million nomadic Fulani and 16 million settled Fulani, Frank (1996). As
a language, Fulfulde is spoken by natives and non-natives a l i k e and as a lingua franca in many
West and Central African countries such as B e n in r e p u b l i c , Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Chad,
Gambia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and S i e r r a L e o n e , Senegal to mention a few. In Nigeria,
Fulfulde is one of the courses of study (From Bachelor’s Degree to PhD in some colleges of
education and Universities) and it is being used as a medium of instruction across the levels
of education. Fulfulde is also used in print and electronic media such as R a d i o G o t e l
I n t e r n a t i o n a l , A d am aw a B r o a d ca s t i n g C o rp o r a t io n , V o i ce o f N ig e r i a . T a s k a ram
F u l f u l d e w i l l s o o n b e a i r e d i n o n e o f t h e m o s t p r e st i g i o u s m o v i e s t a t io n , “ T h e
A f r i c a n M a g i c ” . On the linguistic classification of Fulfulde Greenberg (1963) m a i nta i ne d th at
t he language could be classified under the West-Atlantic group of Niger-Congo language phylum.
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However, in a revised classification, Bender (1989) classified Fulfulde in the index of Nigerian
languages and observed that it belongs to the Atlantic sub-division of Atlantic-Congo language
phylum.
2. Who Is Dawaa-See-Dacce?
Fulbe People placed so much value to oral traditions since time immemorial and had developed
stories such as fables to teach morality from generation to generation. With the advent
of writing and reading skills some of these stories that were recorded in audio -tapes
have now been documented in forms of story books. Bolle Hikimaa De Dawa-see-dacee
E Fulbe Wobbe is one of such recorded oral stories that have been transcribed and put
together in a book form by Professor Mustapha Abba and Abubakar Umar Girei (PhD).
According to available oral sources, Dawa-see-dacce was a famous Pullo griot who was well respected
among his people for his oral wisdom. He was respected essentially for his wisdom and his ability to
give stories, fables, folktales and sometimes even poems. He was nick-named Dawa-see-dacee
because of his attitude surrounding his business of story-telling, that as long as you keep paying him
some token he will keep telling you stories ( Dacce-in the context meant money in Fulfulde) .
No doubt the griot Dawa-see-dacce had placed so many premiums to educating the youths of his time
and as a griot he employed fables to achieve the noble objective. He was a good story-teller who
rightly fit the description of Soyinka (1988) that there are good and bad story-tellers except that a
good one could tell the same story over and over again and it would always be fresh to us. Dawasee-dacce was said to be highly respected for his selective use of words and could tell the same story
over and over again. Such was the like of Dawa-see-dacee to his teaming listeners. He could keep
telling stories for as long as he is paid some token and he told his stories in a more alive
and dramatic ways.
3. Synopsis Of Ko Baaba Wajanno Biyum
Ko baaba wajanno biyum is a fable contained in the story book Bolle Hikimaa De Dawa-see-dacce E
Fulbe Wobbe, which featured a sick father and his son. The father was said to have sent the son on
an errand but realising the distance the son had to travel to deliver the message he motivated the
son to make it fast and come back. The ailing Father promised the son that he will teach him the
principles of achieving a balanced life in the future. The son quickly travelled, delivered the message
and came back home. Alas! He met his father dead without being taught those principles of
achieving a balanced life. He was so demoralized but that was for a short while as he was quick to
realise that whatever that his father were to tell him must have been acquired here on earth. He was
optimistic that those teachings/principles could as well be found somewhere if only he could be
determined enough to search for them. He therefore set out in search of the principles that he was to
be taught by his late father.
4. The Principle Of Positive Use Of Youthful Exuberances
On his way to searching for the principles of achieving a balanced life he now met eight different
animals and each animal had one principle to teach him. The fable now begins as he first met the
horse. The horse sought to know why the boy was crying and going through the thick forest. The boy
replied, my father was to teach me the principles of achieving a balanced life unfortunately he has
died without teaching me any. The horse replied, I know one of the principles and will tell you.
“hannde a yi’i ngeendam a yi’ata dum do, ko kuuwaata pat huuwiru nderekaaku”.
“You should positively utilize your youthful ages to achieve your set goals”.
Jotta saa’i mi dereke jawmam wadda hudo, wadda kilbu, wadda gawri mi nyaama. Jotta nde mi
naywi ndaa mo sakkini yam nder waalooji too, min nyaamanta hoore am, min yaranta hoore am”.
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“Humans are fond of neglecting the old, when I was young and agile my master gave me all my
desires but now that I am old I fend for myself”, continued the horse”.
It was reflective of our lives as humans, that we are expected to put in our very best when we are
young and agile. The lesson is that if we neglect the present and fail to prepare for the old age that
we may attain it is as good as planning to suffer when old age comes. This is a pointer to the
orphan child who was in search of the principles of attaining a balanced life and by extension to
the youth in general to make the best of their youthful ages. This is further indicative that no
matter the weight and height of our goals in life we should work assiduously to accomplish it. The
adage stating that failure to plan is a plan to fail is no doubt justifiable. When we are young we are
often agile and robust as such can withstand a lot of physical and mental pressure. What matters is
the decision to take the first step then do it, no matter what. He continued on his voyage until he
met the Dog who taught him the next principle.
5. The Principle Of Appreciating The One Who Genuinely Cares
On his way to searching for the principles of achieving a balanced life the orphan met the Dog which
sought to know why the boy was crying and going through the thick forest. The boy replied, my
father was to teach me the principles of achieving a balanced life unfortunately he has died without
teaching me any. The Dog replied, I know one of the principles, come close and get it.
“A yi’i duuniyaaru dum ngiidaa dum, yid gido maa”
“In life, be in the midst of the one who genuinely cares for you”.
The dog explained this principle further thus:
Jotta saare laamiido nyiiri don duudi bee kusel fuu, ammaa jotta be ngidaa kam, mi fotaay yaago
ton, amma a yi’i bee doo be njaha be do ndema, be ngarta be ngara be ndefa be ndokkayam mi
nyaama, a yi’i naa ndikka”.
You see the palaces have food of varying menu but i don’t go there because I am not appreciated
by the palace. I now live with a farmer who not only appreciate me but also cares for me so much
so that he gives me the same food he eats.
One of the implications of the principle brought forward by the dog in this fable signals that we
should be in the lookout for genuine love. In the 21st century the youths have been lured into
committing many vices through fake concern and love displayed by the men of the under-world or
the terrorists and extremists. According to the national population commission of Nigeria (2001), the
youths under the age of 30 constitute over half of the approximately 150 million Nigerians and
because most of them are not gainfully employed have been prone to social unrest and crime.
In a fast emerging competitive and complex global village the youths must be careful in identifying
which love and compassion is genuinely offered. The Dog in the fable offered that, “the palace may
have all that I desire but of what value is the palace (with all its exotic foods) since I am not
appreciated? I prefer the farmer because of his genuine love for me”.
6. The Principle Of Team Working
As the young orphan continued his search for the eight principles he came across “Doldolde” (a
species of wild squirrel) which taught him the principle of team-work/networking. Doldolde sought
to know why the boy was crying and going through the thick forest. The boy replied, my father was
to teach me the principles of achieving a balanced life unfortunately he has died without teaching
me any. Doldolde said, let me teach you one of the principles that I knew.
“A yi’i duuniyaaru ndu ngiidaa du’u, ko kebata fuu taa sendir lenyol maada”
“No matter the circumstance do not live in isolation of your loved ones”.
Team-working among Africans (in general) and among Fulbe (in specific) dates back to time
immemorial. The culture of the Fulbe encourages team-work through inculcating the attitude of
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staying close to our parents, relatives, and friends. Consequently, endogamy, marriage between
cousins, is encouraged in order to sustain family ties. Given the challenges that bedevil Nigeria
today this principle of team-working as advocated by the doldolde is crucial in ensuring the success
of entrepreneurship of our young graduates who may wish to engage in one form of business or the
other. As a group team-working creates synergy in which the interest of all is protected, because
the sum is greater than the parts.
Building relationships with friends, family or colleagues is achievable through open and honest
communication. The Doldolde moves in twos, threes or fours. Doldolde taught the young orphan not
live in isolation of your loved ones. Often a mere glance, a wink, a nod, or a touch will say more than
words. A sense of humour and good listening are also vital parts in maintaining relationships.
7. The Principle Of Being Precautionary To Daily Live
On his voyage to searching for the principles of achieving a balanced life the young orphan learnt the
principle of precautionary approach to daily live from Kumare, a particular Bird. The Kumaare
replied to the young man, let me teach you one of the principles that I knew.
“A yi’i duuniyaaru ndu ngiidaa du’u, gorko sey mara sera”
“In life, you should imbibe the precautionary approach to daily life”.
According to toxipedia (2010) the precautionary principle could be seen as an effective, reasonable
and rational approach to decision making. Through this principle a framework for effective policy
making is achieved, which by extension ensure a prosperous future generations. There are reasons
why keeping secrets is sacrosanct. According to Elena (2011), the best reason why people must keep
secrets is to "keep the peace." When we are cautious in our daily interaction with people we
maintain high decorum so as to ensure that we keep other people happy and safe with us and
around us.
8. The Principle Of Being Watchful Of Utterrances
Essentially, the snake as featured in the fable under question was a custodian of one of the most
important principle of peaceful coexistence, being watchful of one’s utterances. Fables in the
traditional African life are sure channels that provide a privileged realm of communication and a
public voice for the masses, the womenfolk and youths in the community who do not ordinarily
speak publicly. The Fulani people use fables to communicate their views on topics which are too
sensitive to be treated in other ways. Consequently, the snake replied to the young man thus:
“A yi’i duuniyaaru ndu hakkilin hunnduko maa”
“you should be watchful of your utterances”.
Anyone, regardless of gender and social standing, has the potentials of instituting peace and
tranquillity through what he/she says and to whom. Many nations were destroyed simply because of
unguarded utterances from their leaders. In fact, our utterances are often the replica of what goes
round in our hearts. We know how powerful our utterances can be used to calm worse situations
and otherwise.
9. The Principle Of Dressing Smartly To Fit The Situations
As the young man continued his voyage to searching for the principles of achieving a balanced life he
came across Dalaare “a special kind of African bird with beautiful feathers. The Dalaare taught the
young man the principle of dressing smartly to fit situations. The bird said, let me teach you one of
the principles that I knew.
“A yi’i duuniyaaru ndu ngiidaa du’u, gorko sey mara cuurunngal”
“In life, you should imbibe the principle of dressing smartly”.
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The society expresses itself through its oral tales which often reflects that society and its beliefs”.
The Fulani fables are employed to teach virtues, such as endurance, honesty, kindness, diligence and
obedience as well as linguistic repertoire. Hooliganism, cultism and the like are condemned with a
view to enlightening the youths of the country on the adverse effects of engaging in such vices. Thus,
the Dalaare cautioned the young man to dress smartly so as to be respected and allowed to mingle
with the respected. Fables as mentioned earlier are antidotes to social vices as they are used in
assisting the youths to achieve their dreams of becoming great leaders of tomorrow.
10. The Principle Of Working Hard To Earn A Living
As the young man continued his voyage he came across the Crocodile (Gilanngeeru) which taught
him the principle of being entrepreneual. The crocodile posit that:
“A yi’i duuniyaaru ndu ngiidaa du’u, gorko sey waawa filu”
“In life, you should work hard to earn a living”.
There is a sense of purposefulness in the principle of the Crocodile as it can be labelled as an “entereducative” as it teaches being enterprenual. Obviously, this fable is not only for the entertainment
but a rich pedagogical resource in both linguistic and social realms.
11. The Principle Of Exploting The Wisdom Of Elders
As the young man continued his voyage he came across the Cattle egrets (Nyaalel) which taught him
the principle of respect for elders and tapping from their wealth of experience. The bird said, let me
teach you one of the principles that I knew.
“A yi’i duuniyaaru ndu ngiidaa du’u, tokku buro maa”
“In life, you should imbibe the principle of exploiting the wisdom of elders”.
There is no gain saying that, in the 21st century the African has become individualistic and, more
importantly, materialistic. As we result, the blind quest for money and other material things has
forced people to abandon traditional values. This has brought with it moral decadence among the
youths as respect is only for the rich. Since riches are worshipped it does not matter anymore to
many Africans how the money came about hence the rise in corruption and primitive accumulation
of illegal wealth. The cattle egrets has demonstrated the need for maintaining social decorum so
that we can learn from our seniors and elders, either in schools, offices and other extended
societies.
12. Conclusion
This paper has revealed the utilitarian values and functions of fables among the Fulbe in Nigeria. As
a form of info-tainment, fables are powerful vehicles of teaching language and maintaining social
control. Fables are used particularly for the power of captivating the minds of the child to listen, to
learn and to retrieve easily. According to Ryan et al. (1990), it is easier for the learner to retrieve
information from a text whose contents are of interest to him/her compared to the one he/she has
less interest. It is therefore easier if we avail the young with interesting fables in comprehension
exercises, in essays and in some linguistic drills. No doubt learner interest leads to more elaborate
and deeper processing of expository texts. It means therefore, individual interest is an important
and critical in academic motivation and learning.
e-Proceeding of the 4th Global Summit on Education GSE 2016 (e-ISBN 978-967-0792-07-1).
14-15 March 2016, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA. Organized by http://worldconferences.net/home
38
e-Proceeding of the 4th Global Summit on Education 2016
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e-Proceeding of the 4th Global Summit on Education GSE 2016 (e-ISBN 978-967-0792-07-1).
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