Long ago, when Anansi had grown old, he decided to take up fishing. He was still a strong man, but his eyesight was beginning to fail. Before long, he became completely blind. Although he could no longer see, he was determined not to give up his work.
Fortunately, two men offered to help him. They were patient and considerate, and they did everything they could to make his fishing easier. Every morning, they guided him down to the beach and helped him into their canoe. Once they reached the fishing grounds, they showed him where to cast his net and told him when it was time to pull it in.
When the day’s fishing was over, they guided him back towards the shore. They even told him exactly when to step out of the canoe, making sure he reached dry land without falling into the water.
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The two men treated Anansi with remarkable kindness. Unfortunately, he repaid their generosity with nothing but arrogance.
Whenever they told him where to spread his net, he would snap that he already knew what to do. If they warned him that they had reached the shore and it was time to leave the canoe, he would respond as though their instructions were an insult to his intelligence.
“I know perfectly well where we are,” he would say. “I was just about to get out.”
Day after day, the same thing happened. The men continued helping him, but Anansi became increasingly rude. He never thanked them or acknowledged how much he depended on their assistance. Instead, he behaved as though their kindness was unnecessary and their guidance was beneath him.
Eventually, the two men had endured enough. They decided that Anansi needed to learn a lesson about the way he treated those who helped him.
One morning, they followed their usual routine. They accompanied him to the beach, prepared the canoe and helped him aboard. Anansi, however, was as unpleasant as ever.
“Do you think I am a fool?” he demanded when they told him to step into the canoe. “I know it is there!”
The men said nothing. They simply climbed in and began rowing towards the fishing grounds.
When they arrived, they told Anansi where to cast his net. As usual, he answered with insults and complaints. By this time, the canoe was filling with fish, and the men decided it was time to return.
They began rowing towards land. After travelling some distance, they stopped.
“We have reached the beach,” they told Anansi.
He immediately became irritated.
“Why do you keep telling me things I already know?” he protested. “Do you imagine I cannot recognise the beach?”
He continued showering them with rude remarks, making the two men angrier by the moment.
Then, believing they had reached dry land, Anansi proudly jumped out of the canoe.
But instead of stepping onto the beach, he plunged into deep water.
He was astonished. The men had deliberately stopped the canoe far from the shore, and there was no land beneath his feet. Before he could understand what had happened, they rowed away, leaving him struggling in the water.
Anansi was a strong swimmer, as were the men of his country, and he desperately tried to save himself. But his blindness made the situation far worse. He could not see which direction to swim or where the shore was.
He struggled through the water, swimming until exhaustion overcame him. With no way of finding the land, he eventually drowned.
Thus ended the life of Anansi the blind fisherman, whose arrogance and ingratitude had brought him to a terrible end.
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Moral
Never despise the people who help you. Gratitude and humility are essential, because those who continually mistreat others may eventually find themselves without anyone willing to stand by them.
Knowledge Check
1. Why did Anansi need assistance with his fishing?
He had grown old and become completely blind, although he remained physically strong.
2. How did the two men help Anansi?
They guided him to the beach, helped him into the canoe, directed his fishing and ensured he returned safely to shore.
3. Why did the men decide to punish Anansi?
They became tired of his constant insults, arrogance and lack of gratitude.
4. How did Anansi meet his end?
The men deliberately stopped the canoe in deep water. Believing he had reached the beach, Anansi jumped out and eventually drowned because he could not find the shore.
5. What is the central lesson of the story?
People should appreciate kindness and treat those who help them with respect rather than arrogance.
Source
This retelling is based on:This article is an original creative adaptation of “Anansi the Blind Fisherman”, based exclusively on the version published in W. H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair’s West African Folk-Tales (1917).
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