Mooka and the Golden Swallowing Sands
Listen to the African Folktale of Mooka and the Golden Swallowing Sands
The African Folktale Lesson on the Dangers of Greed, Mooka and the Golden Swallowing Sands
During a time when the continents were as one in the lush forest desert of the Niger Delta, there lived a goat named Mooka.
Known far and wide for his insatiable hunger, Mooka was never satisfied. No matter how much he ate, his greed drove him to seek more.
The villagers often laughed, saying,
“Mooka’s stomach is as bottomless as the Delta’s golden waters.”
One day, Mooka overheard a heron speaking of a magical apple tree deep within the Delta. Its apples, golden and shimmering, were said to bring everlasting satisfaction to whoever ate them.
Mooka’s long black ears perked up, and his stomach rumbled louder than a thunderstorm. He was determined to find this tree and finally silence his endless hunger.
Ignoring the dangers, Mooka ventured on. The swampy land was treacherous, but Mooka’s greed blinded him.
As he searched, he stumbled upon a patch of golden sand glistening with shimmering water.
He paid it no mind his eyes were fixed on the golden tree, now visible in the distance.
As he stepped into the sand, the ground began to shift beneath his hooves.
Slowly, Mooka started sinking. But even as his legs disappeared into the quicksand, his eyes stayed locked on the apples.
“Just a little closer,” he thought, stretching his neck toward the tree. The more he strained, the deeper he sank.
By the time the golden apples seemed almost within reach, Mooka’s body had been swallowed by the sand. His last thought was not of regret or fear, but of his unfulfilled hunger.
The magical tree swayed in the breeze, untouched and indifferent, as if mocking his greed.
The villagers, finding Mooka’s fate, told his story to their children repeatedly saying “Do not let your desires blind you to danger. For the one who chases greed without care may sink before they ever succeed.”
And so, the little village of Gobo alongside the Niger Delta became known not only for its beauty but also for its whispers of Mooka, the goat who sank beneath the Swallowing Sands.
