Folk Tales and Fables from The Gambia

The stories narrate the tricks, deceit and greed of hyena in all his relationships. These traits come out strongly in the tales entitled: 'The cow, hyena, lion and hare share a homei, eHyena and hare go in search of foodi and eThe hyena and the harei. Hare, however, shows his ingenuity by always outsmarting hyena. Catis pilgrimage to Mecca and his self righteous attitude on his return was challenged by the eldest member of the clan of rats. He was reminded of his old ways before his transformation. Gambian folk tales carry moral lessons and even though they are not all spelt out in this collection, they are evident.