In this episode, we discuss folklore from the Kotoko people in Chad. We read three stories from Told by Starlight in Chad by Joseph Brahim Seid :
The Eclipse of the Moon
The Kingdom of Wadai
The Most Beautiful Girl on Earth, Hidden Under an Ass’ Skin
The Eclipse of the Moon is a lyrical account of a lunar eclipse and the cultural practices related to it. Eclipses are believed to be due to conflict between the sun and the moon. Conflict between the sun and the moon shows up in Maasai (Kenya, Tanzania) folklore, as well as in Fon (Benin) folklore.
You can delve into more African Sun and Moon Folklore in this deep dive episode:
The Kingdom of Wadai is a folkloric/historical account of how Islam came to Wadai (AKA Ouaddaï or Ouaddai), a region in eastern Chad. It’s an interesting account which suggests that Islam moved into the area by assimilation through a man named Sileh. In other accounts, Sileh conquered the pre-Islamic Tunjur kingdom. This makes me wonder if this legend is part of an effort to sanitize history.
We talked about the complex legacy of African encounters with cultures and ideas from all over the world. For example, using Wolofal , a type of Ajami script that looks like Arabic, but sounds like Wolof, Sufi brotherhoods in Senegal were integral to resistance to French colonial rule. Read more about this amazing script here. You can also read about the related Le Garay, a script for the Wolof language.
The Most Beautiful Girl on Earth, Hidden Under an Ass’ Skin brings together some of my favorite folktale elements: beautiful women determined to marry on their own terms, magical children, love against all odds, flowers, and happily ever afters!
Kotoko (Chad) Folklore