African Fairy Tales (From the Bamileke People): English-French Version

By Shck Tchamna

Once upon a time… Il était une fois.

Myths, legends and tales were/are the means used by Africans to convey messages. Tales, myths and legends are the most appropriate means of education to edify children.

In most African tales, animals are personified in order to avoid using human beings as live actors in the story.

Long before, tales were told by our bards and our poets, the so-called griots. They were usually older women. These tales used to be told at night, around a wood fire, while waiting for the meal to be ready. They seemed more interesting than modern televisions.

Through Resulam, Resurrection of minority languages, the author presents here his childhood's tales.

The tales are illustrated with high-quality colorful images in order to make it easy for children to follow the stories. This version is the English and French translation of the original book that was published on May 20, 2015. That original book was written in fè'éfě'è (nùfī) language, a bamileke language in Cameroon, Central Africa, then translated into French for French speakers, and into English for English Speakers.

L'objectif de ce livre est de présenter au monde entier la façon des africains d'observer le monde, à travers les contes, mythes et légendes. Cette version Anglais-Français est une traduction directe du livre original écrit uniquement en langue fè'é'fě'è (nùfī), une langue bamiléké du Cameroun, située en Afrique Centrale.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rodrigue Tchamna
• Release date: Feb 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393286684

Shck Tchamna

Shck Cǎmna' (Tchamna) is author of about forty books and co-author of over twenty applications for learning African languages, including Twi in Ghana, Wolof in Senegal, Chichewa in Malawi, Nko, Amharic, Swahili, Lingala, Kikongo, Duala, Basaa, Ewondo, Medumba, etc., not to mention a wealth of works in his mother tongue, Fe'efe'e, a Bamileke language also called nùfī, spoken in West Cameroon. To top it all off, he is the founder of a nonprofit called Resulam, resurrection of ancestral mother tongues.

Book preview

African Fairy Tales (From the Bamileke People): English-French Version

Shck Tchamna

Published by Rodrigue Tchamna, 2020.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

AFRICAN FAIRY TALES (FROM THE BAMILEKE PEOPLE): ENGLISH-FRENCH VERSION

First edition. February 4, 2020.

Copyright © 2020 Shck Tchamna.

ISBN: 978-1393286684

Written by Shck Tchamna.

Also by Shck Tchamna

African Fairy Tales (From the Bamileke People): English-French Version

Bamileke (Nufi, Fè'éfě'è)- French-English Phrasebook

la grammaire des langues bamilékés : cas du nùfī (fe'efe'e))

Duala-French-English Phrasebook

Mon Prénom Africain, Mon Prénom Bamiléké

Wolof-French-English Phrasebook

Swahili-French-English Phrasebook

Guide de conversation trilingue Medumba- français-anglais

Dewtere Kongo : Fulfulde - French - English Phrasebook: Guide de conversation trilingue Français-anglais-fulfulde.

Ewe - French - English Phrasebook: Guide de conversation trilingue Français-anglais-ewe

Mukanda ya ba nsa Kikongo (Kituba) - French - English Phrasebook

Watch for more at Shck Tchamna’s site.

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Résurrection des Langues Maternelles

Presents

Il était une fois

Once

Upon

A

Time

Rodrigue Tchamna

Illustration

Cameroun bD

« Póómɑ̄, n shʉɑ́ pen sī’ ntóó nkɑ̄ɑ̄ ba, ntóó nhee mǎ,

ntóó mbe’e mǎ, tɑ́’, sī mfɑ’ mǎ bɑ̄ ! »

« Fɑ̌’ zě’e, ndīē wāha nzɑ̄, lē’ zě’e, ndīē wāha nzhʉ́ɑ́. »

Shck. Ca᷅mna’.

Foreword : Préface

Once upon a time… Il était une fois.

Myths, legends and tales were/are the means used by Africans to convey messages. Tales, myths and legends are the most appropriate means of education to edify children.

In most African tales, animals are personified in order to avoid using human beings as live actors in the story.

Long before, tales were told by our bards and our poets, the so-called griots. They were usually older women. These tales used to be told in the evening, around a wood fire, while waiting for the meal to be ready. They seemed more interesting than modern televisions.

Through Resulam, Resurrection of minority languages, the author presents here his childhood’s tales. These tales were put in written form for the first time in the book Ŋwɑ̀’nǐ céhwū nɑ́ ghə̀ə̄ Bamiléké by l’abbé Tchamda et al. [1].

The author has re-edited these tales according to the way in which his grandmother used to tell him. They were then illustrated with very high-quality colorful images in order to make it easy for children to follow the stories. This version is the English and French translation of the original book that was published on May 20, 2015 and is available here : http://amzn.to/2yzClik. That original book was written in fè’éfě’è (nùfī) language, then translated into French for French speakers.

Foreword : Préface

L’objectif principal de ce livre de conte étant avant tout de doter les natifs bamilékés des manuels d’apprentissage de leurs langues, il a été écrit en respectant scrupuleusement les règles de l’alphabet général des langues camerounaises (AGLC). L’objectif secondaire est de présenter au monde entier la façon des africains d’observer le monde, à travers les contes, mythes et légendes.

Ce livre est destiné:

- Aux natifs bamilékés, parents et enfants. Les parents s’aideront du livre pour raconter des histoires à leurs enfants avant le coucher.

- A tous les francophone et francophile du monde. Le livre leur permettra de découvrir la pensée africaine à travers des contes.

- Aux linguistes du monde entier. Le livre leur permettra de découvrir un system de langage exotique et bien structuré du point de vue phonétique, lexical et grammatical.

- A tous ceux qui ont la bonne volonté de soutenir Resulam dans son combat contre la revitalisation des langues maternelles ancestrales.

Contents

The tale of the hare prophet ......................................................... 1

The lizard and dog ........................................................................ 8

The panther and the squirrel ...................................................... 11

The panther and the goat ........................................................... 14

How the fly became king ............................................................ 18

The quarrel of panthers and chickens ......................................... 21

The turtle’s grinding stone .......................................................... 26

The bat refused to pay taxes ....................................................... 32

The partridge dethroned the cuckoo .......................................... 38

The panther and the hare ........................................................... 42

The panther and the turtle ......................................................... 47

The turtle became the king in the water and in the plains ......... 52

The panther and the sheep ......................................................... 60

The hare and the panther ........................................................... 67

The friendship of the panther and the hare