THE TORTOISE AND THE PARROT. A NIGERIAN TALE BY STELLA

Dear Diary, today was the happiest day of my life. I had to proof to Mr. Tortoise that I am the wisest animal in the world. Which obviously he didn't agree at first.

Last week I was at Mr. Tostoise house to tell him about this amazing discovery. He laughed at me and thought I was a joker

"Ah ha! What do you expect of Parrots?" he said scornfully. "They just fly about telling fake tales. "Well my good Koru, fly away and tell this to cat and see what he'll do to you". He said to me.

Alright, if you think I just told you a joke, you watch out and see. In the next few days the Iroko tree in the village is coming down." I said and flew away.

The Iroko tree is workshipped by the villagers. Market women on their way to the market stop to offer something to it, in the hope that they would have a good day.

Early the following morning I flew to the Iroko tree and settled on it. After each woman had made her offering, I shouted out saying: "No luck fo you today!"

Soon news about this spread and the Elders held a meeting. They decided that the Iroko tree had become evil and that it must be cut down. In no time at all the tree was cut down in the presence of the Elders, and just as it fell I cried out: "You can't catch me!"

I flew off, making straight for Mr. Tortoise's. Mr. Tortoise was just going out to see the fallen Iroko tree and his wife was seeing him off.

"Who's the wisest animal now? Hah! Hah! Hah! I laughed out loud. Finally I did proof it to him. Good night dear diary.

ACTIVITIES THURSDAY 14TH

THIS IS A BOOK....

Everyone in a circle. Teach this dialogue:

A.- This is a book

B.- a what?

A.- A book.

B.- a what?

A.- a book.

B.- Oh, a book!

Make sure that the group establishes a steady rhythm with this dialogue.

Then the first person uses an actual book. After the line: Oh, a book! player A passes the book to player B who then turns to player C on their other side and they repeat the dialogue. Practice around the circle one or twice and then introduce new objects. Put two objects in the circle one after the other to make it more difficult until everybody is giving and receiving objects at the same time

KEY WORDS

Choose some works from a text or a story. Each word is given an action and a sentence. Write the words down on the board and train the players to say and do the relative action when they hear the word. When all of them know what they have to do, tell them the story or read the text, pausing in the key words.

YOUR SCENARIO

Small groups of 5/6. Each group writes 4 or 5 words on the board. The leader writes all the words in pieces of paper and gives 5 words to

each group. Then they will write a short story including the words that they are given and perform the story on stage.

THE DONKEY AND THE CRICKET. A NIGERIAN TALE BY STEPHANIE

Dear diary...

In the land of Dowra in Kano state lived a donkey who was very unhappy because he had to work hard from sunrise to sunset. He never had time to play or to lie in comfort in the sun like his friends or like me (the cricket).

It isn't the hard work I mind so much, he said to me one day. It's the time it takes to do everything. As soon as I finish one piece of work my master finds me something else he wants me to carry or pull. I am getting to dislike my life. I never have time to play. He said to me.

Then I asked him: "why don't you sing while you work? then the load you carry would seem much lighter.

He aswered and said "that's easier said than done. Just because you sing so well, it doesn't mean to say everybody else can. You know what happens everytime I sing. My master gets so angry that he beats me without mercy!

"That's because you stand still in the middle of the road, and keep singing hee-haw for hours"

"But you sing for hours and nobody beats you"

"I don't stop still in the middle of the road"

Poor donkey, he was surprised by my explanation

"What is wrong with singing hee-haw?" he asked me.

"Well, it's not a very pleasing song, is it? And people don't like to hear the same thing over and over again." I said.

"oh, I see" said the donkey. "Can you teach me how to sing the same way as you do?"

I laughed and told him donkeys can't sing like crickets.

"why not?" he asked sadly.

I told him it just wouldn't because it's a family secret.

"Oh, I promise not to tell a single person about it if you teach me, please, mis cricket, please!"

"Okey!" I decided to tell him the secret and asked him not to tell any body about it. He promised and the secret was "you mustn't eat or drink anything but dew. Dew as you know is the water that lies on the grass in the early morning. Then you will be able to sing like me!"

"How can I live on nothing but dew?" he asked.

"There you are!" I should never have told you" I said to him. Well donkey started feeding and nothing but dew,. After a few days he felt very weak and tried to sing. His voice still came out as hee-haw but it was much softer and higher than before, it was almost as high as mine. The donkey was pleased. He resolved never to eat grass again, but when he tried to sing there came no voice and soon afterwards the poor donkey died.

That is the reason why donkeys go mad when they hear we, the cricket sing. They kick and shout hee-haw, hee-haw. They stamp around looking for us trying to step on us. But we always are able to escape.

Good-night diary.

ACTIVITIES WEDNESDAY 13TH

MIRRORS

Players stand in pairs face to face and decide who will be player one and who will be player two. Player one is the leader and begins to move slowly, player two is the reflexion and must try to mirror player one's movements. After a few minutes the roles are changed. Players should work towards the changes being impossible to see and therefore who is leading and who is following. This activity demands that the players see the "whole" of the other player, to concentrate and to work together.

VOCAL MIRRORS

In pairs the players perform the mirror exercise including vocal reflection by speaking at the same time and saying the same thing.

INTERVIEW TWINS

Three players create and interview scene. One player is the interviewer, the other two are the guest (one guest, the two players act as one person). The guest must answer the interviewer's questions at the same time saying the same thing, trying to develop a "twin connection".

LINE GREETINGS

Put the group in two lines facing each other. Each line works as one person together. They must develop a dialogue between line A and line B, being line A one person and line B another person.

MR. MOON (SONG)

THE KING'S TEST. A NIGERIAN TALE BY GEORGINA

Dear Diary...

I am princess Doo and well loved by my father the Lion King. When it was time for me to get married, my father had a test for all my suitors before he would determine who is suitable to marry me.

He invited all the other animals in our kingdom and presented six seeds of small pepper saying that any animal who could chew the seeds one after the other without feeling its pinch or hotness it would marry me.

The dog tried first but could not keep its tongue in the mouth as it felt the hotness of the pepper.

Next came the cat, the elephant, the donkey, horse and giraffe. All the other animals tried and all failed. Finally came the hare. It decided that it would sing while chewing the pepper. It song and chew and song and chewed until it chewed all six seeds. Unknown to my father, the song was a method it used to expel the hotness of the pepper and cool its tongue.

Finally I am happily married to my wise husband the hare who was smarter tan all the other animals.

Its song was:

A sange a mbakpa a trata...

or la ya ya...

nana tough ya...

kwase a bunda nan...

In English:

The six seeds of pepper...

the who eats it...

and shows its hotness...

the new bride...

he losses....

ACTIVITIES TUESDAY 12TH

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Players stand in a circle with enough room to move their elbows. Player one begins miming an activity, any activity such as playing football. Player two, to the right asks player one: "what are you doing?" Player one is to answer without hesitating with the first action which comes to mind OTHER than the one he/she is miming. I.e. tying my shoelaces.

Player two then begins miming the thing announced by player one a

nd is asked by player three "what are you doing?"....

Get players to speed up and start to eliminate if they hesitate, repeat or make a mistake.

EMOTIONAL BOUNDARIES

The place is divided in four zones. Each one will be designated with a particular emotion, as the players move about on the place they must adopt the emotion of the zone that they are in. First time slowly and stand in each emotion for a while. After a few times, speed up.

EMOTIONAL SYMPHONY

Put the participants is groups of five/six. Each group is designed an emotion. They must agree how to express this emotion with a noise. After practising the noises, put all the groups as a chorus, choose one person who will be the conductor of the emotional orchestra.

CINDERELLA

Choose a well-known fairy tale. I.e: Cinderella. Review the story with the help of the participants. Write the main characters in the board. Put the part

icipants in pairs or small groups. Each group is one of the characters of the story, and they must write the story from their own point of view as a diary. They must start with the beggining: "Dear diary..."