“CHIFUNDO CHINAPHESA NKHWALI”: A FOLKTALE OF THE CHEWA PEOPLE.
In traditional African society, some of the most important life lessons were taught through Folktales. Folktales have always been an effective mechanism for nurturing young members of society. These folktales continue to be a key aspect of Zambian culture and heritage.
Traditionally, these stories were passed down to the young members of the society by word of mouth (oral tradition). Elders would sit the young ones around a village fire in the evening and tell them folktales as a way to teach them principles that had practical applicability in society.
One example of a folktale that was told among the Chewa people is the one which is summarized by the phrase “CHIFUNDO CHINAPHESA NKHWALI”. The meaning of this phrase is “It was sympathy and kindness that killed the partridge”. A “partridge” refers to a certain bird species. The local name for “partridge” is “Nkhwali”. The folktale tells the story of what happened to this bird as a result of being too kind.
This is how the story goes;
Once upon a time, a fierce bush-fire erupted in a certain forest. As the fire began to spread, the flames encircled a snake and the snake was trapped with no place to go. The snake was in a very desperate situation because the fire was now getting closer and closer. Facing a life and death situation, the snake looked around and in a short distance it saw the partridge. Because the partridge had the ability to fly short distances, the snake begged the partridge to carry the snake and fly it across the bush-fire and take it to a place of safety.
At first the partridge was not for the idea and it hesitated. But seeing how desperate the snake was, the partridge decided to help. The partridge told the snake to coil itself around the neck of the partridge so that when the partridge flies the snake would also be carried to safety. The snake did that and the partridge flew away from the bush fire to a safe place.
Upon reaching safety, the partridge told the snake that since the snake was now safe it should uncoil itself and leave. The snake refused to uncoil itself and instead said “I don’t want to uncoil myself from your neck, your feathers are very warm and i am more comfortable coiled around your neck”.
In an attempt to try and get away from the snake, the partridge began to struggle. In the ensuing struggle the snake bit the partridge and the partridge died. From this folktale, the phrase “It was sympathy and kindness that killed the partridge” was coined.
This particular story was told as a way of preparing people for the harsh realities of life. The sad reality is that in life the very same people who you show so much kindness are the ones who turn against you and do you harm. The theme of this folktale is also exhibited in a song done by the legendary Zambian folksinger James Chamanyazi where he talks about how people who treat others with kindness sometimes get betrayed by those who they showed kindness to.
The story of the partridge and the snake tries to teach people that sometimes one has to be careful when they are too kind.
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