Title: When the Drums of Choice Shook the Market — An African Tale on Elections and the Economy



Title: When the Drums of Choice Shook the Market — An African Tale on Elections and the Economy

In the heart of the land, when the season of drums returned, the air grew thick with noise. It was the time of choosing, when every village, every hut, every whisper turned into a debate.

Elections, they called it — but the elders said it was more like a storm.

Before the storm, the market was alive. Women sold maize with laughter, traders shouted prices over the scent of roasting groundnuts, and children ran between stalls chasing dreams as small as sweets. But once the drums began to beat, things changed.
Prices rose like frightened birds.
Farmers stopped planting — waiting to see who would lead.
Traders hid their goods, fearing the roads would close.
Even the fishermen said the river no longer smiled at them.
The spirit of the Market gathered her skirts and sighed. “Every five years,” she said, “my children forget that I live on calm, not chaos.”

One morning, an old storyteller came to the marketplace. His stick tapped the earth with rhythm as he spoke:
“When the elephants fight, the grass suffers.
But remember — when the grass dies, even the elephants go hungry.”

The crowd fell silent. Everyone knew what he meant.
The election fever had turned neighbors into strangers. Promises filled the air like dust — many words, little truth. And as the people quarreled, the coins in their pockets grew fewer.

A mother of three muttered, “My stall is full, but my customers are gone.”
A young man said, “I will wait to see who wins before I invest.”
But the storyteller smiled sadly. “The market doesn’t wait for kings,” he said. “It lives on trust — and trust dies when fear becomes our trade.”

When the drums finally quieted, the new leaders came waving flags of victory. But the market did not cheer. The people had learned that no matter who sits on the chair of power, the economy dances only to the song of peace and unity.
That evening, the storyteller lit a fire and told the tale again — of how the people nearly sold their future for the price of their anger. And the wind carried his words far beyond the market:

“Elections are not wars.
They are mirrors — showing us who we are.
When we break the mirror, we lose more than our reflection.”
So, the people began again. Slowly, coins returned to the market. Smiles found their way back between stalls. And the spirit of the Market, humming softly, opened her arms once more.

💡 Lesson:
When the drums of politics grow louder than the hum of progress, the economy trembles. Peace, not power, feeds the people.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Day Humans Forgot the Sky

Image
The Day Humans Forgot the Sky For centuries, the winds whispered stories to the mountains, the rivers sang lullabies to the trees, and the animals listened. But one day, silence fell — because the humans started complaining again. They complained about the heat, though the sun had risen every day to warm their seeds. They complained about the rain, though it had nursed their crops to life. They complained about the wind, though it carried away their smoke and pain. The gods of the sky gathered in disbelief. “What more do humans want?” asked Thunder, shaking the clouds. “They wanted fire, we gave it. They wanted wisdom, we offered stories. They wanted rest, we made the night.” But humans were no longer listening. They shouted over the whispers of nature, their noise louder than birdsong. They built walls taller than trees, forgetting that once upon a time, trees were their first roofs. An old tortoise, older than sorrow, climbed a hill and sighed. “I have seen the wo...
Read more

The Tortoise Who Wanted It All: A West African Folktale of Greed and Wisdom

Image
The Tortoise Who Wanted It All: A West African Folktale of Greed and Wisdom The Tale Long ago, in a time when animals spoke and lived together, the birds of the sky decided to hold a great feast. They invited every creature, but the tortoise was not among the guests. Known for his cunning ways, he was often left out of such gatherings. But the tortoise, ever clever, persuaded the birds to lend him feathers so he could fly with them. Each bird plucked one feather and soon the tortoise had wings of many colors. Off he went, proud and disguised, soaring into the sky. When they reached the feast, the tortoise gave himself a new name: “All of You.” As the food was served, he announced that the feast was prepared for “All of You”—which, by his trick, meant himself. He ate greedily while the birds went hungry. Angered by his deception, the birds each took back their feathers, leaving the tortoise stranded. When he fell from the sky, he landed hard on stones, and his shell ...
Read more

The Clever Tortoise and the Boastful Hare

Image
The Clever Tortoise and the Boastful Hare In many African villages, stories are told under the moonlight, around a fire, or in the comfort of the homestead after a long day. These tales—often called folktales—are more than just entertainment; they carry wisdom, humor, and lessons that echo through generations. One of my favorites is the story of the clever tortoise and the boastful hare. The tale begins with Hare, as usual, bragging about his speed. He would boast to anyone who cared to listen—and even those who didn’t—that he was the fastest creature in the forest. “No one can outrun me,” he would say, twitching his nose and thumping his foot on the ground. The other animals grew tired of his arrogance, but none dared challenge him. None, except Tortoise. Now, Tortoise was known in the animal kingdom for being slow but wise. His shell carried not just his home, but also patience and cleverness. So, one day, after Hare had gone on and on about his unmatched speed, Torto...
Read more