Developing Stories : Rabi
A modern day fable African fable from Burkina Faso which explores the relationships between a boy and his pet tortoise and his own community. (1992)
Swerving to avoid a tortoise in his path, Noufou crashes his bike and breaks all the clay pots he had planned to sell at market in Ouagadougou. He picks himself up angrily. Then, seeing the funny side of the situation, he decides to take the offending tortoise home for his son, Rabi. Though clearly attached to the creature, the boy torments it until his furious father returns it to the bush. Rabi is devastated. He confides his disappointment to his wise old grandfather, Pusga, who helps him to find his own tortoise. A modern day fable using traditional African storytelling techniques, Kaboré’s exquisite drama is a gentle, enigmatic exploration of the relationships Rabi builds up with the tortoise, with his father and grandfather, and with his own conscience. (1992)