Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom
Once upon a time, when mankind had not yet discovered fire and had not invented the wheel, in a small village in Africa, there was a young boy named Anansi. Anansi was the son of the great sky king, Nyame.
Anansi was a very curious person and loved to learn new things. His father noticed this and decided that the time had finally come to give him the pot of wisdom.
— Anansi, my son, I am happy that you love to learn. I have decided to give you this pot of wisdom. — Wow! — This pot will teach you many things in life. Remember, however, that wisdom must be shared with others.
Anansi, who had been enchanted by the pot, did not hear this.
— Thank you, Father! I will take great care of the pot and learn well.
Over time, with the help of the pot, Anansi learned something new every day. Each time he tried to create something new.
— Look what I've made, Father! — Wonderful! I am proud of you, my son. Won't you help the villagers with this too? — What? Show them too? No way! It's my creation and only I will use it.
Nyame worried, but said nothing for the moment.
After a few days, Anansi learned how to light a fire. He was very excited and immediately sent a raven to call his father to his tent. When he arrived, Nyame was delighted to see the fire.
— Father, I have created fire! Inside the tent, I will no longer live in darkness and I will no longer be cold. My body will be filled with light and warmth!
Nyame smiled, proud of him.
— You don't even know what you've achieved, my son. This discovery will greatly help humanity. You must show it to others immediately. — Father? Only I work to invent and discover things. Do you think I want to share my wisdom with lazy villagers who do nothing to evolve?
Anansi's words shocked Nyame. He realized he had to say something.
— Anansi, I was happy when I heard that this pot of wisdom reached my dear son. But I realized I was wrong. Please give me back the pot. I will look for someone who will share their wisdom with everyone.
This made Anansi very angry. He immediately stood up and said:
— Father, I have hidden the pot and you will not find it again. It is very far from this village.
Nyame thought for a moment, then said:
— Anansi, you do not deserve to live among people. Leave and return when you are ready to admit your mistake. I will find the pot eventually anyway.
After saying that, Nyame disappeared.
— Father will never understand that people don't deserve the pot. I will hide it deep in the forest, so no one will ever find it again.
Anansi took the pot from its hiding place and left.
— I deserve this pot of wisdom and I'm not coming back.
Anansi went deep into the forest. He searched everywhere for the perfect place to hide the pot, but couldn't find the right spot. It wasn't long before he grew tired and thirsty.
— Oh! I'm so thirsty! Where can I find water? Is that a river? Yes! Sweet, cold water here! Ooo!
The riverbank was steep and slippery, and Anansi was helpless. He was afraid of dropping the pot of wisdom, which could break.
— How can I get there? It's very difficult!
At that moment, Anansi heard a splash in the water. He looked and saw a small child looking at him and smiling. The child was pulling a vine that was tied to a pot made of leaves, with which he was scooping water from the river. He slowly pulled the pot full of water and gave it to Anansi.
Anansi cheered up and drank the water in an instant, for he was very thirsty.
— Ah! Ah! Thank you, little one! — Goo-goo!
Anansi looked at him in amazement.
— Interesting. Well, thank you again. Now I must go. — Goo-goo! — Oh, never mind.
Anansi turned and began to walk. After a while, he realized the little boy was following him. He didn't like that at all.
— Hey! Why are you following me? — Goo-goo! — No, not Goo-goo. You must go back to your tribe. — Goo-goo! — Ah!
Anansi sighed and walked on. The little boy continued to follow him.
— It seems you will cause me a lot of trouble.
He walked further until a giant tree appeared. The tree had many branches pointing in all directions. It was so tangled that it seemed like the perfect place to hide the pot of wisdom.
— This seems like the perfect place to hide my precious pot.
Anansi decided to climb the tree. In one hand he held the pot, with the other he tried to climb, but he kept slipping and was afraid of dropping the pot. The little boy, however, was very cheerful.
— Goo-goo! — What is that?
Anansi turned and saw that the little boy was holding a vine near the tree. He pointed to the pot and made a knot.
— Goo-goo!
Anansi began to laugh.
— Ah, that might work?
He went to the tree, took the vine, and did exactly as he had seen. Then, he began to climb the tree, while the little boy followed him. Anansi climbed to the top of the tree.
— Oh! Finally! The best place for the pot of wisdom. No one will find it here. Not even that little boy can see it.
Anansi looked down and saw the little boy making sand mountains and drawing a river in the sand with his finger. Anansi watched the boy and realized that, on his journey full of obstacles, it wasn't the pot that helped him, but the little boy. When he thought about how he had behaved, he felt ashamed.
— If this little boy is so clever without the pot of wisdom, I wonder what all of humanity could do. They need, they just need some inspiration, some wisdom.
Anansi looked at the pot and made up his mind.
— Wisdom must be shared with others. Of course. Yes, that's what Father said too.
Anansi climbed down from the tree and threw the pot into the river. The strong current of the river broke the pot, and the wisdom flowed out of it, heading towards the village. The little boy was puzzled.
— Goo-goo! — Yes, I know. Now let's take you home.
And so, Anansi, the lazy boy, was finally ready to be humanity's teacher. He taught people how to light fires, how to build the wheel, and how to cultivate the land. He helped everyone and told stories to the children.
Meanwhile, the knowledge and wisdom from the pot that flowed into the water spread throughout the world, making many people wise, clever, and preparing them to become the most powerful species on Earth.
Thanks to Anansi, wisdom reached everywhere in the world, teaching different people different things, which is why no one has all the wisdom in the world. And that's why we share wisdom with others when we exchange ideas. If everyone had all the wisdom, or if all wisdom had been kept untouched for only one person, the world would never have advanced. Just as a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle, knowledge grows when shared, not when kept secret.
— Goo-goo!
