The Story of Fox and the Animals in the Party

The Story of Fox and the Animals in the Party

The Story of Fox and the Animals in the Party

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Once upon a time, Fox organised to kill White-eared Kob
because White-eared Kob killed his mother, and so Fox thought it necessary to take revenge.

Once upon a time, Fox organised to kill White-eared Kob because White-eared Kob killed his mother, and so Fox thought it necessary to take revenge. But he could not do it by himself because White-eared Kob was bigger than him. So instead he had to find another means to kill White-eared Kob.

Fox asked the animals to gather for a special meeting. After all the animals had gathered, he told the gathering that the next day they were going to have a very big traditional dance competition and everyone must participate. All were happy and they went back to their homes to prepare for the competition.

The following morning all the animals came for the competition and everyone was dressed in his or her own traditional mode. Fox was the organizer for the competition and he addressed the gathering at the commencement of the competition. He arranged them all and the first to start was the White-eared Kob and the frog.

There was a point where everyone was to reach in order to qualify as a winner, but in truth the distance was so long that any animal who tried to arrive at that point would either die, or could not even reach the point at all. Fox just did this because his plan was to kill White-eared Kob.

 

In his arrangement he organized many frogs along the line where their colleague was to run and when the competition kicked off each frog was to appear up ahead in front of White-eared Kob as if it were the same frog, all the way to the end until the last one appeared as a winner.

On the way the White-eared Kob was always some distance behind frog. All the other animals were clapping and whistling to see who was to be the first. White-eared Kob tried and tried but finally he fell down unconscious and died. The plan was fulfilled and the frog became the first winner.

Reflections:

1) The story presents revenge as normal and necessary. Is it? Why or why not?
2) How does the setting of the dance competition affect your understanding of Fox’s plans?
2) What alternatives were available to Fox?

Folktales Collected in Renk

Folktales Collected in Pibor

Folktales Collected in Bentiu

Folktales Collected in UNMISS PoC site, Juba

The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

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Once upon a time, a fox and a monkey were living together; they were very close friends.

As we know, the monkey has a curious nature and wants to know and explore everything.

Sometimes the recklessness of the monkey’s nature put him in danger; especially when he tries to play, and build a friendship with the dangerous animals, despite the warning of the fox. The monkey always laughed at the fox’s caution and the way he kept his distance from dangerous places. But the fox kept warning the monkey about his friendships with dangerous animals who do not know loyalty to a friend. The fox especially warned the monkey about his friendship with the lion.

One day, the lion got hungry and couldn’t find anything to eat. So the lion decided to eat the monkey.

In the morning, when the monkey came to greet the lion, the lion didn’t answer the monkey. The monkey blamed the lion for not returning his greeting. The lion got angry and told the monkey that he was misbehaving, “How can you greet me, the King of the jungle, with that impolite language? You must be punished!”

“How can you greet me, the King of the jungle, with that impolite language? You must be punished!”

The monkey got scared and tried to apologise, but the lion didn’t accept his apology and told him that he had made a major mistake, for which the only punishment was to be killed and eaten. Shaken, the monkey ran away and the lion started chasing him. They ran and ran until the fox appeared and stopped them, and asked them, “What’s the problem? You are friends. Tell me what happened?”

When they told the fox the story, the fox understood that the lion had fabricated the problem because he wanted to eat the monkey. The fox told the monkey that he was wrong and asked him, “Why didn’t you greet the king from a distance?”

To which the monkey replied, “I did greet him from a distance.”

The fox asked the lion to stand still, and asked the monkey to go with him to measure the distance that he had greeted the lion from.

When they got far from the lion, the fox ran into his hole and said to the monkey, “This is how my grandfathers escaped from the danger. What did your grandfathers do?”

Then the monkey finally understood the fox’s point and jumped up to the nearest tree and left the lion standing there astonished.

  Reflections:
  1) Why does the lion start being aggressive to the monkey? Do you think he is looking for an excuse to justify his urge to eat him?
  2) When people treat us well one day and badly the next, how does it make us feel?
 

Folktales Collected in Renk

Folktales Collected in Pibor

Folktales Collected in Bentiu

Folktales Collected in UNMISS PoC site, Juba

The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

by Na'eesh Mabadh Team | Na'eesh Mabadh Radio Programme

Enjoyed The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox? Listen to the Na’eesh Mabadh adaptation of this folktale for radio.

Na’eesh Mabadh is a peacebuilding project inspired by South Sudanese folktales.
Learn more about this project on the Na’eesh Mabadh page.


How the Fox Eats the Fruit of the Lalob Tree

How the Fox Eats the Fruit of the Lalob Tree

How the Fox Eats the Fruit of the Lalob Tree

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Once upon a time the fox and the monkey used to stay together in the same forest. The monkey ate the fruits of the Lalob tree. The fox wished he could also eat the fruit of the Lalob tree, but there was no way for him to do so because he could not climb the tree. The fox would try and try to get the fruit, but the monkey would just come along and claim all the fruit, leaving the fox down below under the tree. The fox would feed on the leaves when he was very disturbed by hunger.

One day the fox sat down and thought about what to do since the hunger was becoming such a big problem that it might even cause his death, and he felt the monkey was contributing to the hunger.

The fox went to where the young ones of the monkeys stayed. Their mothers had gone out to eat the fruit from the Lalob tree. The fox inserted one of the fruits into the throat of one of the young monkeys and hid himself near by.

The monkeys returned from eating the fruit and found that one of their young ones was nearly dying; he was crying and crying.

“What is wrong with this child? What kind of sickness is this? What happened in my absence?” wailed the mother, who was carrying a lot of fruits.

 

Mr Fox, please come! We want you to help us for we know that you have the power for healing.

 

The fox came as if he was not aware of what was going on. The fox was believed to have divine or magic powers by the monkeys in their village.

“Mr. Fox, please come!” the mother of the young monkeys cried. “We want you to help us for we know that you have power for healing. Our child is dying and we don’t know what caused the problem!”

The fox said, “What is wrong with the child my dear friend monkey? I am rushing somewhere, maybe it is something slight.”

“Please come, we are begging for your help!” cried the monkeys together. So the fox accepted and came.

“When we left here to collect fruit the child was playing,” said the mother.

“But do you know what is killing your child?” the fox asked slyly.

“We don’t know! Please!” begged the monkeys.

“What is killing this child is that you have your own god that you are refusing to obey,” said the fox, who had put the fruit into the throat of the young monkey. “Are you eating the Lalob?” he asked.

“Yes!” they replied.

“And that is what is killing your child. If am lying, you just see! Get me some hot water to remove it and see.” He removed the fruit and told the monkeys, “Have you seen what was killing your child?”

“Yes we have seen” the monkeys replied, in shock.

“And will you eat this fruit again?” the fox asked.

“No!” the monkey cried, “even now, take all the fruit I have brought!”

Then the fox warned the monkeys, “If you eat this fruit again you will never have a child.” So from that time on they refused to eat the fruit up to today. Instead they decided to feed on the Tamarind tree and never ate the Lalob again.That was how the fox got to eat the fruit of the Lalob tree.

Later, since this fox was so full of wisdom, he said, “We never know when famine will return, so let each one of the foxes defecate in one place. Some day they may easily return to the venue, because each animal may eat their faeces one day. That is why the fox defecates in one place to date.”

Reflections:

1) Is monkey really contributing to the problem of hunger? Why does Fox blame him?
2) Fox uses lies and tricks to fool the monkeys into giving him their food. What do you think of these strategies?
3) Try rewriting this story, imagining a different outcome. What could the monkeys have done differently?

Folktales Collected in Renk

Folktales Collected in Pibor

Folktales Collected in Bentiu

Folktales Collected in UNMISS PoC site, Juba