Reading Notes: Stories from Congo, B

Reading Notes: Part B

For the second part of reading from Congo I had a hard time choosing a story that held my interest. I did not enjoy part B of the reading as much as part A but I still found a few stories that I could see myself rewriting.

The Fetish Sunga

In The Fetish Sunga, there is a great fisherman named Basa who goes to the river everyday to catch fish. Even though he catches many fish every day, he often lies about catching them because he is very selfish. One day, the fetish Sunga grows tired of his lies and invites him to a feast where she makes him mute so that he cannot lie again. If I were to rewrite this story I think it would be interesting to explain what happens to Basa after he becomes mute. When I was reading the story I was wondering if after he became mute did he continue to hide his fish, or did he learn his lesson and begin to share. I think it would be exciting to explain how he learns his lesson and maybe make him return to the fetish to ask for forgiveness.

(Fisherman, link)

Why The Crocodile does not Eat the Hen

In Why the Crocodile does not Eat the Hen, there is a crocodile that tries to eat a  hen every day. Every day as he approaches the hen she calls him brother and this greatly confuses him. One day he finally has to ask Mbambi why the hen keeps calling him brother and he responds that the hen is a duck and the duck loves the water and lays eggs so they are brothers. If I were to retell this story I would focus more on the dialogue between the duck and the crocodile. I think it would be more interesting if the crocodile confronts the duck rather than going to a friend to ask.

Bibliography

Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort, Richard Edward Dennett (1898). link