A FISHER MAN'S TALE

PART ONE

A FISHER MAN'S TALE

Down by Sandougu Bolong, lies a small village called Wulaba. In Wulaba, the residences are very nice and close nit. They like good food and they will do any thing to maintain the village traditions. They farm, garden and fish. But during the raining season, the village designated fisher men go to the farm. When it is summer season no one has any excuse except the very lazy men. Even fishing is delegated to visiting fisher men.

One summer season, a wicked fisher man came to the village; he was very impress by the villager's love of fish and vegetables. He knew after providing for the morning portion to his host, the remaining fish is his. What is required of him is hard work and honesty. Visiting fisher men don't pay any rent to their host; all they do is give a certain amount of fish for the woman cooking to use as ingredient. The fisher men later get use to the system. They catch fish and then they hide all the big fish to be sold in a different village were waiting customers compete for the bigger fish. The fisher men can charge any price they want for their catch. The villagers usually turn a blind eye to the bad behaviour of the fisher men.

One summer, a batch of new fisher men came to the village. They look around for a host, a place to use as a summer residence. Among the fisher men there was a man called Bantu. Bantu is a Malian traditional fisher man. He claims to learn his trade from childhood. He knows the river and he like fishing. He has lots of fishing songs. He is never bored when fishing.

But Bantu has a nasty side to him. He cannot bear seeing a fish being wasted. He can even start a quarrel over an abandon fish. Every morning Bantu will gave some fish to the wife of his host. That lady is known as Wande. Wande like money, she knew fisher men have money. But to get a Butut out the fisher men requires a compromise. Young able bodied men sleeping rough wouldn't hand over any butut just in vain. They too require some thing unbecoming of a married lady. For Mrs wande to have any money from the fisher men, she must agree to cohabit with them. This is a grave crime in the village. If she is caught, it meant banishment and lost of respect but she always take her chances.

One day Mr Bantu went fishing and Mrs Wande waited for him at his usual ducking point. Bantu was tired and hungry. Mrs Wande brought him some wawa to drink. Bantu was over joy. Wawa is local delicacy made of mazi. Mrs Wande wanted money. Mr Bantu too wanted more in return, times are hard. They did the unbecoming act. That was it. They never spoke again about what happen. Nine months later Mrs Wande gave birth to baby boy looking just like Mr Bantu.

This is a small village were every one knows other people business. The gossip mongers start the story. Mrs Wande knew no one has any proof to claim she got pregnant by a fisher man who is only staying temporarily and that she is also married? How comes the villagers would say, ''Her son look just like Mr Bantu fisher man?''.
Mean while, Mr Bantu never left the village after the summer season came to an end. He stayed. Mrs Wande was shocked for the fact that Bantu didn't leave like the other fisher men did. Why? She wandered.