There is no better source of wisdom than people who have lived a long time; it is not beneficial for anyone to ignore elderly knowledge and experience as Mufono discovers in the African Folktale of Mufono seeks wisdom from the should be dead.
Mufono Seeks Wisdom from the Should Be Dead African Folktale
The
animals of the forest meet, and agree to build one big village and live
together. Jumo, a man with one eye, one ear, one arm, and one leg, comes out of a
river claiming to be the son of the Seffa River People and talks the animals into
making him their king.
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| Mufono consults his parents |
As the newly crowned king, Jumo understands to get complete power; he must kill anyone older than
himself. The king therefore decrees everyone kill their elders after the great feast
of Kepi.
Mufono does not trust in the wisdom of the king and hides his parents
in the forest.
Next,
the king decrees that the animals work for him on his farm across the river, some distance from the new village.
Mufono
consults his parents. They advise him to tell the king the animals are unable to cross the river because of the Spring floods.
Mufono leaves his parents in the forest and rushes to tell the king that all the animals have obeyed
him and left for his farm, but they are unable to cross the river.
However, since
he, the king is son of the Seffa River People, he must ask his parents to
dry up the river so the animals can cross to reach the new village.
Since
the king was caught in his lie and could not dry up the
river, he had to release the animals from his rule. The forest animals learned
that no village could prosper without the counsel and experience of the elders.
