Make Believe Kindness African Folklore

Iniko’s make-believe Kindness African Folklore is a story about Iniko, who pretends to be a river that flows into a sea of generosity, but that is something he is not, generous. In this African folklore, pretending to be generous hurts far more than a loved one's deceit, bringing more pain than just saying no from the beginning.

 

Make-Believe Kindness: An African Short Story Folklore

Nuru asked her husband, Iniko, to watch over the food on the fire while she went to fetch water. When she returned, she saw Iniko skimming the stew from the top of the pot. He filled a calabash to the brim with the rich stew and carefully hid it inside the house, thinking no one had noticed.

Nuru, however, saw everything but kept silent. Once Iniko stepped away, she quietly retrieved the calabash, poured the stolen stew back into the pot, and returned the empty calabash to its hiding place.

When it was time for dinner, Iniko, confident in what he had hidden, told Nuru, “Give me only a little and let the children have plenty.” Nuru, smiling slyly, replied, “Abdntsa ate bil-guro bigela gullemrni, father, don’t call the mist a spring.”

Puzzled by her words, Iniko said nothing and waited for a moment alone to enjoy the secret stew he had set aside. But when he uncovered the calabash, he found it empty and finally understood the meaning of his wife’s clever remark. 

Five African Proverbs Iniko Learned from his Make-Believe Kindness Folktale.

• A dry riverbed cannot quench a traveler’s thirst.

• The pot that promises soup but holds only stones breaks the hungriest hearts.

• It is better to see a closed door than to be misled by an open one that leads to nothing.

• The river that pretends to flow fills no calabash.

• A small, honest offering is sweeter than a banquet built on lies.