The storyteller is here! Today, I come with a tale of the crafty Ananse, looking to fill his belly with more than his fair share of food.

Anansesem se so …

Ananse’s Cousin Comes to Town

He who rides the horse of greed at a gallop, will pull it up at the door of shame.
—Fulani Proverb

ONE DAY, Ananse was watching Aso, his wife, cooking when a wonderful idea came to him.

“Aso,” he said, “I have something important to tell you.”

“I’m listening,” Aso said.

“Please cook an extra helping of the food,” Ananse said.

Aso gave him a look, “Why?” she asked.

Looking very concerned, Ananse replied,

“My cousin is in town and will be visiting us. He likes to eat as much as I do. We must have plenty of food when he comes. We have to show him that we know how to offer the best hospitality in this house.”

“If you have a relative in town, how come I am only now hearing about it? And, why is he not staying with us?” Aso asked.

Ananse said, “Oh, he’s very shy and likes to be by himself a lot. He’s not staying with anybody in town, he staying in a place by himself.”

Before she could question him any further, Ananse continued:

“One more thing you should know about my cousin in case he comes when I am not here – he looks very much like me, except he is blind in one eye. Please, don’t look at him too much, because he’s sensitive about that.”

“Alright,” Aso said.

She got extra foodstuffs and went about cooking the larger meal. In the mean time, Ananse found some clothes that he had not worn in a long time. He snuck out and hid them among the leafy branches of a tree nearby.

* * *

When the food was ready, Aso dished out a large serving and set it aside in a nice covered bowl. Everybody, including Ananse, then sat down together and ate their fill of the rest of the food. A little after that, Ananse said,

“I have to go and see about some one-two, one-two. I’ll be quick.”

“Remember, your cousin may visit this evening so don’t be long,” Aso said.

Ananse set off as if he was going to the center of town. He doubled back and went to the tree where he had hidden the clothes. He changed, tied a strip of cloth around his head over one eye, and came back home.

“I greet you,” he said to Aso. “I have come to see my cousin, Kweku Ananse. You must be his lovely wife, Aso. I am happy to finally meet you.”

“Oh, thank you. You have my greetings as well. You just missed Ananse though. He stepped out to take care of some business. Please, have a seat and eat something, he will be back soon,” Aso said.

She thought he looked and sounded very much like Ananse, but she tried not to look at him too closely. She served him the food that she had set aside. Ananse ate every last bit of it. As soon as he was done, he said:

“Thank you for this very fine food. My cousin is a lucky man. I am sorry to say that I have to go now. I’ll come back tomorrow to see my cousin. Please extend my greetings to him when he gets back.”

“That’s too bad,” Aso said. “I’ll make sure to tell him that you came by. Walk well.”

Ananse left, elated that his idea had worked so well in real life. He went back to the tree, changed his clothes and went home again.

That is how things went for some time. Every chance he got, Ananse would leave the house soon after his family finished eating. He would then come back, disguised as his cousin, and eat again.

One evening, right after Ananse left the house, Aso decided that she would fetch water at that time, so that she would be free early the next morning to buy fish when the fishermen came ashore. On the way to the water, who did she see but Ananse, under a tree, changing his clothes! Aso knew immediately what he had done.

“Hoo ooh, shame on you!” she shouted at him.

Ananse was so ashamed, that he ran away and hid in the tall grasses by the side of the road. It was a long time before he was able to show his face at home again.