Younde Goes To Town(an african folk tale)

PART 1

Once in the country of Akim, in the hills far back from the coast, there was a man named Young.He was a simple man who had never been far from home, and he spent his time at farming and hunting like the other people of the village. He had often heard about the big town of Accra by the ocean, and all the wonderful things to be found there, but he had never seen it. He had never been farther from his village than the river.

But one-day Yaounde had to go to Accra. He put on his best clothes, and took his knife and put it in his belt. He wrapped some food in a cloth and put it on his head and started out. He walked for many days, and the road was hot and dusty. After a while, he was out of his own country, and people didn't speak Akim, which was his language, anymore. He came closer and closer to Accra. There were many people and donkeys on the way, all going to town or coming back from town, more people than he had ever seen on the road before. Then he saw a great herd of cows grazing by the edge of the road. He had never seen so many cows in his life. He stopped and looked at them in wonder. He saw a little boy herding the cows, and he went up to him and said, "Who is the owner of all these cattle?" But the boy didn't understand Yaounde, because Yaounde spoke Akim, while in Acre they spoke Ga language, and he replied "Minu" which meant "I don't understand."

"Minu!" What a rich man he must be to own so many cows! Yaounde said. He continued on his way into the town. He was very impressed with everything he saw. He came to a large building and stopped to look at it. It was made of stone, and it was very high. He shook his head. There was nothing like this back in the hills. When a woman came by on her way to market, Yaounde spoke to her. "What a tremendous house!" he said."What rich person can own such a building?" But the woman didn't know what Yaounde was saying, because he talked Akim and she knew only Ga, so she replied to him, "Minu."

"Minu! That man again!" Yaounde was overcome.No one back in Akim had ever been so wealthy as Minu. As he went farther and farther into the town he kept seeing more wonders. He came to the market. It covered a space larger than all the houses in Yaounde's village. He walked through the center of it,and he saw the women selling things that were rare in his village,like iron pots and iron spoons. "Where do all these things come from?" Yaounde asked a little girl. She smiled at him."Minu" she replied. Yaounde was silent. Everything was Minu.Minu everywhere...