Na’eesh Mabadh

by South Sudanese Folktales | Mar 23, 2016 | 0 comments

Na'eesh Mabadh

About

Na’eesh Mabadh is a multi-media peacebuilding project which draws inspiration from South Sudan’s strong tradition of storytelling and folklore. In brief, Na’eesh Mabadh aims to gather folktales from diverse communities and use these stories as a springboard for the exploration and dialogue around local concepts of peace and conflict. The project organizers focused on three conflict-affected sites for the first phase of the project: Bentiu, Pibor and Renk. Fieldworkers from communities in the three areas identified people with knowledge of folktales and asked them to narrate the stories in storytelling sessions which were in some cases audio- or video-recorded. To date, the project team has documented over 60 folktales, many of which are accompanied by audio of the storyteller’s narration and photographs or video of the session.

After the session, the project team in Juba collaborated in the translation, final documentation and analysis of the stories.

Select folktales were then adapted into a variety of formats for radio. The Na’eesh Mabadh Arabic language programmes are slated for broadcast in South Sudan throughout 2016. Each programme includes an adapted version of a folktale followed by a facilitated discussion. The programmes are available on this website and we encourage you to listen and share your feedback on this site.

In addition to the radio series, the collection of stories have been collated into a printed anthology and select adapted stories have been staged as street theatre in Renk.

At the inception of Na’eesh Mabadh, the organizers understood the value of the folktales and other materials they would gather, and envisioned an online platform that would serve as both a site for documentation and space for dialogue.This website — South Sudanese Folktales — is now this space. We plan to dedicate a page to every story in our collection and we invite you to explore all the stories: please visit our Folktale Archive page to begin your exploration; the stories with a link are up on the site – the others are forthcoming.

We also invite everyone to submit a folktale to add to the growing archive.

About Our Team

Project Leads
Elfatih Atem
Daniel Awad
Hannah Rounding
Heather Jane

Story Collectors and Transcribers
Ali Majok
Docklace Telmaris Api
Nyechuol Ruai
Ruot George
Tekajwok Stephen

Translators
Banychieng Phar Jor Tut
Gadet Chol Reik
Hiba Morgan
James Mafer Diar
Magdoline Joseph
Tingwa Suzan

Project Trainers / Advisors
Biar Bullen
Joyce Maker
Nyechuol Ruai
Rebecca Lorins
Shaun Matsheza
Tekajwok Stephen

The Story of the Young Man and the Skull

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

This programme was inspired by a folktale collected by the Na’eesh Mabadh team.

Read the folktale and learn more.

You Reap What You Sow

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

This programme was inspired by a folktale collected by the Na’eesh Mabadh team.

Read the folktale and learn more.

The Story about the Birds' Election

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

This programme was inspired by a folktale collected by the Na’eesh Mabadh team.

Read the folktale and learn more.

The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

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

This programme was inspired by a folktale collected by the Na’eesh Mabadh team.

Read the folktale and learn more.

The Story of Chicken and Elephant

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

This programme was inspired by a folktale collected by the Na’eesh Mabadh team.

Read the folktale and learn more.

Court Case between a Man and Lion over a Missing Cow

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

This programme was inspired by a folktale collected by the Na’eesh Mabadh team.

Read the folktale and learn more.

Explore the original folktales adapted for Na'eesh Mabadh

A Wife Demands the Death of her Mother-in-Law

The Banyop and Babul Saga

The Reckless Monkey and the Cautious Fox

The Story of Chicken and Elephant

Court Case between a Man and a Lion over a Missing Cow

Na’eesh Mabadh

You Reap What You Sow

The Story of the Young Man and the Skull

iom
Funding for Na’eesh Mabadh has been provided by the EU through IOM

You Reap What You Sow

by South Sudanese Folktales | Mar 22, 2016

You Reap What You Sow

Read this story Listen to Na'eesh Mabadh

;

Once upon a time there were monkeys living in a very green forest, neighbouring a village. The people of the village treated the monkeys nicely because when they came to the village the monkeys amused the children, and played with them in a peaceful manner. They did not destroy their properties or farms, and so the community of that village offered them delicious and good types of food.

On the other hand, there was another village nearby where some other monkeys were misbehaving and biting the children, and destroying properties and farms. The community of this village always kicked the monkeys away by beating them, until finally it became too much and they decided to forbid the monkeys from entering the village.

One year, there was no rain and everything got very dry; there was no food in the forest, and the lions and leopards got very hungry because they could not find enough food to eat. One day, an old fox became afraid that the lions and leopards may start eating him so he ran to the lions’ leader and advised him to go near the village as there were a lot of delicious monkeys living there. The lions’ leader listened to the fox’s advice and assembled all the animals and marched toward the village where the monkeys were. When the good monkeys heard the fierce animals approaching, they ran to village to seek refuge. To protect the monkeys, the community prepared themselves with sticks and spears and chased the fierce animals away.

Defeated, the fierce animals returned back to the forest. The lions’ leader was so angry with the old fox because they were all tired and had come back empty-handed. So he ordered for all the foxes to be killed, starting with the old fox. Quick as a flash a young fox jumped up to stop the lions and leopards; he told them, “There is another forest which I know; it also has many delicious monkeys! Let me take you there!”

There is another forest which I know. It also has many delicious monkeys! Let me take you there!

So it was that the lions’ leader asked the fierce animals to move onwards towards the other forest.

Hearing a lot of crashing from the undergrowth the monkeys of the second village sensed they would be attacked by the fierce animals. So they ran into the nearest village, but the community chased them away back to the forest where the fierce animals were waiting for them! This time the fierce animals killed them and ate them all.

Reflections

Storytelling Session Details

Storyteller: Mubarak Elias
Language: Arabic
Community: Giel (Jalhak Payam)
Story Researcher: Ali Majok
Place: Renk
Date: 2015

Folktales Collected in Renk

Explore folktales collected in Renk

Folktales Collected in Pibor

Folktales Collected in Bentiu

Folktales Collected in UNMISS PoC site, Juba

You Reap What You Sow

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

Enjoyed You Reap what you Sow? 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.

The Story of the Young Man and the Skull

by South Sudanese Folktales | Mar 22, 2016

A Story of the Young Man and the Skull

Read this story Listen to Na'eesh Mabadh

;

A long time ago there was a young man who kept cattle. One day he took his cows for grazing and on his way to the grazing field he found a skull that looked very beautiful. He stood and watched it for a while and said, “Oh my God, but why are you killing such beautiful people?” He then continued with his grazing.

The next day he also came and repeated his question. Suddenly, as he was about to move on, he heard the skull reply, “Oh my dear, I died because of lies!” The man was surprised and dashed away immediately as if he heard nothing.

On the third day, he used the same route and, as he had done on the first day, he asked his question. The skull responded as it had done on the second day.

Oh my dear, I died because of lies!

The man ran home and told the story to the chief and the soldiers. Nobody believed him, but the young man insisted, telling them that it was true. He told them, “If you think it is a lie, come with me and witness for yourselves!”

The chief asked him, “What if it proves to be false? What do you want us to do to you?”

The man replied boldly, “You have to kill me!”

The chief ordered his soldiers to follow, and to do as he had agreed with the young man.

The soldiers went with the young man, and when they reached the place of the skull he said, “Here is the skull and now let me talk as I did in the previous days.” So he talked to the skull and the skull did not reply.

The soldiers told him, “Look young man, you have lied to our chief and now we are going to kill you as you have said we should.” So the soldiers killed him.

As they were about to go back to the village they suddenly heard a voice saying, “This is what I told you young man, and now you have also died as I died.

The soldiers murmured to themselves and decided not to go and tell the king what had happened. They too feared what would happen to them if they told the chief the truth, and so they only told him, “The man has lied to all of us! and we have killed him as you agreed and told us to do.”

Reflections:

1) Do you think that the truth will always come out/prevail? Does that give you hope or make you afraid?
2) What matters most in this story, truth or power? What should matter most in the world, truth or power?