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Story seeds

Do you want to tell your own stories but sometimes find it a bit difficult to get going? Here are some ideas to get you started - available in 6 SA languages. 

language specific

Why monkeys live in trees

Posted on April 2nd, 2019
Lion was the king of the beasts. He was proud of his roar, and he was proud of his sharp teeth and claws, but he was most proud of his beautiful golden coat and mane. One day, as he drank from a pond, Lion noticed that his mane was looking rather patchy....

Tortoise and the birds

Posted on March 25th, 2019
A long time ago, when a bird died on earth, its spirit would leave its body and float up to the clouds where it lived as a cloud person, watching over and caring for the birds and animals on earth. The birds and animals knew about these cloud people. There came a time when...

The eagle and the giraffe

Posted on March 20th, 2019
Long, long ago, Giraffe was best friends with Eagle. One morning, when the two friends were at the waterhole, Eagle asked Giraffe, “What do you think is at the bottom of this waterhole?” Giraffe thought for a while. “Well, Hippo says there’s a spirit down there, but I’ve never seen her,” she replied. “I...

Why the moon gets smaller and bigger

Posted on March 19th, 2019
Long ago, Mother Moon lit up the sky every night. She had a blanket woven from the most beautiful golden thread. Her blanket shone so brightly that there was enough light for all people to see their way through the darkness. Sometimes, Mother Moon wrapped her blanket tightly around herself and came down...

The traveller’s treasure

Posted on March 18th, 2019
Once upon a time, there was a very greedy man. Although he was very rich, all he ever wanted was more money. One evening, an old traveller came to the greedy man’s door. “I’ve been walking all day,” the old traveller said. “Please let me rest here tonight.” “Hmmm,” said the greedy man....

The guinea fowl that laid golden eggs

Posted on March 18th, 2019
Once upon a time there was a very poor man called Mzi. “The children are hungry, and we have no money to buy food,” cried his wife, Pumla. “What are we going to do?” “I will go hunting,” said Mzi. “If I can catch some guinea fowl, then we will have a...

Frog’s task

Posted on March 15th, 2019
Long ago, when trees could talk and fish could fly, Frog was the biggest of all the animals. He liked to bully everyone, and the animals were growing tired of him. One day, when Frog had gone swimming, the other animals held a meeting to decide how to deal with him. “We need...

Tselane and the giant

Posted on March 15th, 2019
A long, long time ago, when giants roamed about and chickens talked, a poor woman lived with her daughter, Tselane, in a little house. Since she had nobody to look after Tselane, the woman was forced to leave the child alone when she went to plough her fields each day...

The magic necklace

Posted on March 14th, 2019
Once upon a time, there was a farmer called Vusi who was very, very strong. Nobody knew how he did it, but he could easily carry two cows at the same time. One morning, when Vusi woke up, he ran around in a panic. “My necklace! Who has stolen my magic necklace?” he...

King of the birds

Posted on March 14th, 2019
Long ago when the world was new, Nkwazi, the great fish eagle, called all the birds together. “As you know,” he said, “Bhubesi the lion is king of the beasts. But why should he speak for us birds? We need to choose our own king... and as I am so majestic, I...