JABU NDAW THE COURAGEOUS LITTLE GIRL

WORDS FROM THE WRITER

This is a traditional Senegalese tale. No one knows who
told it for the first time. Read it and share it with your friends and parents.After the first reading try to memorize the story by telling it in your own word.

If you give it a try, you can end up being a good storyteller yourself.
Make the story alive. Bring the characters to by raising the tone
of your voice, your facial expressions, your gestures,
your songs, your answers to questions, and your pausing
wherever needed till you reach the end. Good luck.
Maam Daour Wade


There was once an extraordinary young girl named Jabu Ndaw who loved eating peanuts.
One day, her mother asked her to weave a mat for her. She quickly started the job, eating peanuts as she worked.
Suddenly a lion roared outside of the village.
Her mother said to her : "Jabu Ndaw, put that away now and come lie down inside, inside for the lion will soon be here.”
Jabu Ndaw sang : "Father, Mother, did you hear what the lion said?
He said that next to him I am as light as a leaf and that I would be as delicious as honey in his mouth. But do not worry about me. I am not going to budge from this spot. “That lion’s roar is like a kitten’s meow.
He does not scare me a bit." `And, she kept on working and eating peanuts Again, the lion roared.
This time he was in the village.
Jabu Ndaw’s father came out and said to her : "Jabu Ndaw, put that away now and come lie down inside, for the lion is in the village."
Jabu Ndaw sang :"Father, Mother, did you hear what the lion said? He said that next to him I am as light as a leaf and that I would be as delicious as honey in his mouth. But do not worry about me. I am not going to budge from this spot. That lion’s roar is like a kitten’s meow. He does not scare me a bit." `And, she kept on working and eating peanuts
Then the lion roared at the door of the house door.
Her brother shouted to her : "Jabu Ndaw, put that away now and come lie down inside, for the lion is at the entrance of our house.”
Jabu Ndaw sang : "Father, Mother, did you hear what the lion said?
He said that next to him I am as light as a leaf…and she kept on working and eating peanuts Then the lion arrived and swallowed Jabu Ndaw who directly came back out his thigh and set to working
again and eating peanuts

The lion got angry, whipped the ground with his tail, shook his head and roared louder than before. Then he swallowed Jabu Ndaw once more but… This time she came out of his ear and set to working again and eating peanuts

The lion was furious! He swallowed her a third time and Jabu Ndaw
came back out of his mouth and set to working again and eating peanuts

The lion swallowed her a fourth time but she escaped through
his nose and again set to working and eating peanuts
Tired out by it all, the lion lay down in the courtyard to rest.


Wait until I finish and I will have a few words with you,
said Jabu Ndaw to the lion.

When Jabu Ndaw had finished her work she put away the mat. Before going to sleep she went to where the exhausted lion lay and gave him a good knock on the head saying, "Next time you will think twice before offending a little girl like me."

Then the lion ran away into the great forest and never came back again.

Here ends the tale. The one to sniff the air first, will go to paradise.

Now, tell me what you think about Jabu Ndaw ? What lessons did you learn from this tale ?

Maam Daour Wade