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Abeedou's Friend
From SPARK
One-sentence summary
Brief Internet story of a Malinke boy of Senegal.
Description
This short Internet children's story is a sequel to Abeedou's Secret. It tells about the life and culture of the Malinke people of Senegal, West Africa. It is fact-based fiction based on the experiences of several children.
It is a four-part story.
- Part One: Caught! Two Malinke boys, Abeedou and Bala, work hard to catch Senegalese Finches (birds) to sell at the local market. When they visit their grandmother, she tells them her wish for the younger boy to have his “heart cry out” to Baabaa Ala (the Malinke term for Father God) and his son Isa (Jesus). A colored photo of a Senegalese Finch is included.
- Part Two: The Road to Saraya – The boys forget to tell anyone where they are going. They walk the four miles to town. As they walk the boys talk about what grandmother said to Bala. Reaching town, they sell their birds. But then they spend so much time deciding what to buy, that it gets dark and they are in danger! A colored photo of the marketplace in Saraya is included.
- Part Three: Darkness – The boys are fearful because they know it is a long walk home. Packs of hyenas hunt at night and would like to eat them. As they walk, Abeedou, a Christian, begins to pray out loud. He asks God to protect them from the hyenas. They hear the fearful calls of nearby hyenas. Villagers find and rescue them. Abeedou's father, the chief, assures the boys that God did protect them. He warns that they were wrong to leave without telling anyone where they were going. This section has a colored picture of women working in a Malinke village.
- Part Four: Grandmother's Wish – The next morning the boys learn that grandmother is ill. She tells them it is time for her to go to be with Jesus. As the days pass, grandmother becomes weaker. On the day she dies, she tells Bala that she hopes he will trust in Jesus. She says she wants to be buried as a Christian. After her death Bala says he wants to learn about God and His Son, Jesus. This section has a photo of a small Malinke boy. There is a black and white drawing to color of a Senegalese Finch returning to its nest.
Considerations
- This story would be good to use as a shell because it is so brief. Its best audience would be African children. It could be used elsewhere as a teaching tool about other countries and cultures.
- It could also be used as an audio book, especially in Africa. Perhaps elsewhere it could be a teaching tool about other countries and cultures.
- Only one of the sections has a page they can take home to color. Every section has a color photo which may be useful with some language groups.
- With a few changes, it would be useful as a radio story, especially in Africa. However, it must be cleared with New Tribes Missions first.
Limitations
Guidelines for Use
Where to Obtain
Link to Producer or Source Organization
It is available online from the New Tribes Mission website under kidstuff.
Cost
It is FREE, with one condition: Whenever this story is used or distributed, it must include the note found on the New Tribes Mission website in its entirety.
Producer/Owners
Author/Artist/Producer
Abeeddou's Friend was written by Dena McMaster
Current copyright owner
New Tribes Mission
