{"id":5079,"date":"2019-11-28T12:30:40","date_gmt":"2019-11-28T12:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/combonimission.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=5079"},"modified":"2019-11-25T15:05:27","modified_gmt":"2019-11-25T15:05:27","slug":"oral-literature-the-hare-and-the-baboons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/2019\/11\/28\/oral-literature-the-hare-and-the-baboons\/","title":{"rendered":"Oral Literature: The hare and the baboons"},"content":{"rendered":"

The day was very hot. The hare was on his way to a distant water-hole to quench his thirst when he met a party of baboons hurrying along the path towards him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you going? \u2013 The baboons asked -. Are you ill, that you look so miserable?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am well, thank you, but I am greatly troubled by the heat and very thirsty. The last two water-holes that I visited were dry, and the one I am going to now is very far away, said the hare.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen come with us, friend Hare – they said -. We are on our way to a beer party. Surely it is better to quench your thirst with beer than with water!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is, indeed – agreed the hare -. I\u2018ll gladly accompany you, for it is a long time since I attended a good beer party.\u201d And he turned about to join them.<\/p>\n

Before long they reached a very tall tree at the side of the path, up which the baboons lost no time in climbing. Halfway up they joined several more baboons. \u201cCome along up, friend Hare! – \u00a0they called down -. What are you waiting for? Can’t you see what a splendid supply of beer pots we have up here? We thought you said you were thirsty!\u201d And they rocked with laughter at the trick they had played on the Clever One.<\/p>\n

The hare ground his teeth in anger, but said nothing. Thirstier than ever, he had to begin his search for water all over again. The further he went, the angrier he became, and the more determined to take his revenge on the baboons. He thought arid thought, and eventually decided on a plan.<\/p>\n

It was not long after that he met the same party of baboons again. He greeted them warmly. \u201cGood day to you, my friends, – he said -. I have been hoping to meet you, because my wife has made a particularly fine brew of beer, and I would like you to come and sample it. As you know, her beer is famous throughout the land.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is very good of you,” the baboons replied -. \u201cWe’ll gladly come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen come tomorrow at noon when the sun is hot to the open place next to the forest, – said the hare -. My friends, we shall have a fine party!\u201d<\/p>\n

The baboons were delighted. Thanking the hare for his invitation, they hurried home to gather their families and go to join him. The hare prepared for the baboons by burning a large patch of dry grass, leaving an unburnt circle in the centre, where he placed the beer pot.<\/p>\n

The baboons arrived on time the following day. They were hot, weary and thirsty after their long journey. \u201cCome, my friends, let us enjoy ourselves!\u201d \u00a0welcomed the hare as they drew near. “Never have I tasted a finer brew of beer!”<\/p>\n

At this the baboons raced across the burnt grass and took their places round the beer pot. But the hare said, \u201cMy friends, you must first wash your hands, because this pot belongs to an acquaintance. It must be kept clean and not handled with dirty hands. Besides, it is against the law for anyone to eat food with unwashed hands, and I see that yours are very black. You will have to go down to the river and wash them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The baboons looked at their forepaws, which were indeed black from the burnt grass they had walked over, and had to admit that they were far from clean. So down to the river they ran to wash.<\/p>\n

On their return they again had to cross the burnt grass to reach the beer pot, so their paws became as black as before. When they held them up to the hare for inspection, he shook his head and said, \u201cBut my friends, they are as dirty as before! You must go again to the river to wash them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back to the river the baboons went to wash away the blackness, but by the time they got to the beer pot, their paws were as dirty as before. Over and over again the hare sent the baboons back to the river to wash the soot of the burnt grass from their paws until, by the time the sun began to set, they were so tired that they went sadly home, while the hare called his family to join him round the beer pot. Amidst much merriment and laughter at the discomfiture of the baboons, they drained the beer to the last drop. \u201cAha! – \u00a0Laughed the hare -. So they thought they could make a fool of me – but who are the fools now?” (Folktale from Tanzania)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The day was very hot. The hare was on his way to a distant water-hole to quench his thirst when he met a party of baboons hurrying along the path towards him. \u201cWhere are you going? \u2013 The baboons asked -. Are you ill, that you look so miserable?\u201d \u201cI am well, thank you, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5079\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/combonimissionaries.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}