Niger

Niamey

At that time, "Dame Kunkuru the tortoise" lived in the backwater. Like all her forefathers, she stayed there day and night. She used to wallow in the mud and used to love the gentleness of the water on her shell. And so life continued.

Until one day there was a drought. The grass dried out and water became increasingly rare. Before this tragic situation, "Kunkuru" very prudently warned all the riverside residents and users of the backwater of some of their practices that were harmful to nature. Biri the monkey was breaking tree branches in his daily acrobatics; certain large feet like the elephant and his herd, were destroying all the greenery as they passed through; the birds were polluting the pure air of lands that were formerly green, etc.

Dame Kunkuru the tortoise was disappointed in her peers' irresponsible behaviour towards the environment. But unfortunately she was not listened to; on the contrary, she was a laughing stock by Zomo the hare and Damussa the panther, so much so that she resigned to leave the backwater of her ancestors and left in search of a more hospitable region. Her ancestors used to speak of a pond that never dried up, over there, towards the sunset. Her adventure began.

There was still no rain after she left. The situation became hopeless. What were they to do? Faced with the seriousness of the situation, Zaki the lion, king of the bush, decided to convene his people to a large meeting. Through Biri the monkey's voice and drums, all the land animals:Maciji the snake, Guiwa the elephant, Barewa the gazelle, Kura the hyena and all the creatures of the air: Jimina the ostrich, Zakara the cock, Angulu the vulture...all of them without exception bowed down to their sovereign and took their seats. Zaki the lion spoke and said: "Kowa yazo, Saï Godiya!" "Thank you for coming. We are gathered again today, but not for a celebration. The news is serious. There is no more water. In man's memory, such misfortune has never affected our land."

He invited Zomo the hare, also a seer, to consult the ancestors' manna. In front of every one he threw cowries, spoke incantations but acknowledged that the situation was particularly difficult and recognised that the solution to the return of the rain was elsewhere. Sadness fell over the meeting. Then Kwodo the toad clumsily came forward and remarked on Dame Kunkuru the tortoise's absence saying that she held the secret to the rain's return. If only they had followed Kunkuru's advice, replied Kwodo the toad! Zaki the lion became furious and summoned the entire meeting to look for her. The griot struck up a march and all the valid animals in the bush followed the tracks of Kunkuru the tortoise. Lying low after her departure, she was eventually found.

Zomo the hare spoke and declared: "Kunkuru, remember your father, remember your grandfather, remember your ancestors." "They all lived in our bush and it is there that they fell. Only you have revelations for us. We promise to listen to you and put your recommendations into practice now, come back to us, we beg you, come back". Very moved by this urgent request, Kunkuru came out of her hiding place and said "You are victims of your own stubbornness and the hardening of your hearts. The solution to the current problem is very simple: go back to our lands. Start very intense reforestation. The watchword from now on will be: plant and no longer cut down, plant and maintain the trees".

Every one followed Kunkuru's wise advice and set to work. Life-giving rain fell for several weeks, nature became green again, the forest found its rights again, the ponds filled. Now they could drink without taking a breath. Before going back to the backwater of her ancestors, Kunkuru, once again, before the large family of animals spoke as follows: "As you can see, water is the source of life; use it rationally and miserly. Avoid any waste and any pollution. Plant and maintain the trees. Greenery and nothing but greenery! We are all part of the same family. The environment is ours, protect it and preserve its assets for future generations. Now go in peace and may the gods of water be with you".