In a small Gambian village, famine had tightened its grip. Crops withered in the fields, animals starved, and families wasted away slowly. Samba, a man who could no longer bear the sight of his wife and children weakening day after day, decided one morning to search the nearby bush for roots to feed them. His stomach ached, and his steps were heavy, yet desperation pushed him forward.
As he walked through thorny thickets, a strange sound startled him. Someone or something was calling his name. Samba froze, scanning the brush around him. The voice seemed to come from deep within the brambles. Curiosity and hunger pulled him closer until, hidden among the thorns, he discovered an old kel, a wooden bowl. To his astonishment, the bowl spoke.
“You are hungry, Samba,” the kel said in a low voice. “I can fill myself with whatever you desire. Simply say the words: Kel nel mout ak…”
Hardly believing what he had heard, Samba tried:
“Kel nel mout ak thioh!” (Bowl, be full of bran).
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Immediately, the bowl brimmed with fresh bran. Samba ate hungrily, the taste filling his empty belly with relief. Still uncertain if this was a dream, he tried again:
“Kel nel mout ak tiere!” (Bowl, fill yourself with couscous).
The bowl obeyed. He ate couscous, then rice, then more food until his hunger faded at last. Trembling with excitement, Samba lifted the miraculous bowl and carried it home.
That night, he revealed the secret to his wife. “Watch,” he said proudly, and called again:
“Kel nel mout ak thioh, ak tiere, ak tiep, ak khalis!”
The kel filled itself not only with food, bran, couscous, rice, fish stew, but also with coins of shining silver and gold. The family rejoiced. Famine no longer troubled their home.
But Samba was not content with secrecy. Though he warned his wife never to tell anyone, he himself eventually gave in to pride. He could not resist boasting to the king about the bowl that answered his every wish.
The king demanded to see it. In the royal court, Samba commanded the bowl to produce gold, and it did so instantly. The greedy king seized the treasure, had Samba tied, beaten, and cast out with nothing.
Bruised and humiliated, Samba returned home. His family wept as he told them the tale. Once again, famine pressed in upon them. Desperate, Samba returned to the same bush where he had first found the kel, hoping for another miracle.
There, hidden among leaves, he discovered a massive bolde, a heavy iron club. Samba picked it up with difficulty, and to his shock, the club stirred.
“Bolde…” he whispered uncertainly.
The iron club sprang to life and struck him hard on the head. Dazed, Samba realized this strange object too held power, but unlike the bowl, its gift was violence. If its name was spoken aloud, it would rise and strike whoever uttered it.
Pain throbbed through his skull, but his anger at the king burned hotter. “This,” Samba thought, “can avenge me.”
With immense effort, he dragged the heavy bolde to the palace and laid it before the king.
“Here is another marvel I have found,” he said.
The king peered down with scorn. “What? Just an iron club?”
But the moment he spoke, the bolde sprang up and struck him squarely on the jaw. The courtiers gasped.
“What is this? A bolde?” one cried.
“Bolde?” echoed another.
At each mention, the weapon leapt, swinging wildly, striking heads, knocking people down, crushing limbs. Panic filled the palace as the enchanted iron club spun and pounded anyone who dared speak its name.
Amid the chaos, Samba slipped quietly into the royal house. There, tucked safely away, he found his stolen wooden bowl. Clutching it to his chest, he fled back to his home. His wife and children greeted him with tears of joy, and together they returned to plenty, leaving behind famine, hunger, and the cruelty of a greedy king.
Moral Lesson
This folktale teaches that gratitude and discretion are as important as good fortune. Samba was blessed with a magical gift that could have kept his family safe through famine. Yet by boasting to the king, he endangered not only himself but also the security of his household. At the same time, the story warns against greed and tyranny: the king’s selfishness ultimately brought destruction upon his court. True blessings should be guarded with humility, and power should never be abused.
Knowledge Check
1. What did Samba first find in the bush during famine?
He found a magical wooden bowl (kel) that could fill itself with any food or riches.
2. How did the bowl work?
By saying “Kel nel mout ak…” followed by his request, the bowl would fill itself with the desired food or wealth.
3. Why did Samba lose the bowl to the king?
Because he revealed its secret out of pride, and the greedy king seized it.
4. What was the bolde, and what power did it have?
The bolde was a heavy iron club that struck anyone who spoke its name.
5. How did Samba use the bolde to get his bowl back?
He presented it to the king, and when people said “bolde,” it struck them, causing chaos that allowed him to reclaim the bowl.
6. What is the main lesson of the story?
The tale warns against greed, pride, and abuse of power while showing the value of humility and gratitude.
Folktale Origin
Mandinka Folktale, The Gambia, West Africa. Collected in François-Victor Équilbecq’s Contes Indigènes de l’Ouest-Africain Français (1913).
