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This story is brought to you by Nal'ibali, which means Here's the story in isiXhosa. Nal'ibali is a storytelling initiative that aims to establish a culture of reading for enjoyment in children.
This story was created by Ndidi Chiazor-Enenmor (Author), Natalie and Tamsin Hinrichsen (Illustrator) and Dumisani Sibiya (Translator)
Scroll down to download the PDF version of Timi and the barber in 8 official languages.
Read the story in English here:
Timi and the barber
Timi and his mother lived in Mozala Town. There was something very unusual about Timi – his hair! It grew very quickly. It grew so quickly that every Saturday, Timi’s mother had to take him to the barber to have his hair cut. And if there was one thing that Timi really didn’t like, it was having his hair cut! Haircut time was worry time for Mom because Timi would cry. “I don’t want to have my hair cut!” he always said.
Mom would cuddle him before they set off to the barbershop, but as soon as they arrived, Timi would burst into tears. Then Mom would have to do all sorts of things to try to get Timi to sit still while he was having his hair cut. Sometimes she would give him some biscuits. Timi loved biscuits, but he would gobble them down and start crying again.
Sometimes Mom would break into a dance. She would dance to the left. She would dance to the right. She would shake her body, but Timi just cried and cried.As soon as Jango, the barber, got ready to cut Timi’s hair, Timi got ready to cry even more! First, he would sniffle, then he would sob, and then he would let out a loud cry, “Hiyaa, hiyaa, hiyaa!” “It’s only a haircut, Timi. It’s not painful,” Jango would say, trying to calm Timi down, but that made Timi cry even louder.
Sometimes Jango would sing to comfort Timi, but still Timi kept crying. One day, Timi cried so loudly that some passers-by peeped into the barbershop to see what would make a boy cry so loudly! “Oh, my goodness! It is only a young boy having his hair cut,” they said. Timi did not care that people came to stare at him. He cried and cried until Jango had finished cutting his hair.
Another day, he wailed so loudly that Grandma Binite came limping in with her walking stick. She lived next door to the barbershop, but had been woken up from her afternoon nap by Timi’s loud wails.“Oh, my word!” Grandma Binite said. “I thought something terrible was going on!” Then she limped back to her house to get Timi a piece of tasty grilled fish she had made. “I’m sure this will make him stop crying,” she thought.
But when she gave Timi the fish, he popped it into his mouth, chewed and swallowed … and then went on crying! After Timi had left with his mother that day, Jango sat down with a cup of tea and thought and thought.
Surely there had to be a way to stop Timi from crying while his hair was being cut! And that’s when Jango had his good idea! “That’s it! I’ve solved it,” he shouted excitedly. On Timi’s next visit, as soon as Jango took out his scissors, he began to tell Timi a story.“Once there was a young boy who did not like to get his hair cut, so he let it grow and grow,” said Jango.
“It grew until his head was full of knotty strands of hair. Soon the knotty strands became twisted together.” “What happened next?” asked Timi, who had stopped crying.
“Flies and other insects decided to make their homes in his hair,” continued Jango. “So, what happened to him?” asked Timi, looking worried. “The young boy began to pull at his hair and to scratch because the insects that were crawling around on his head made it very, very itchy. He pulled and scratched, and pulled and scratched all day long. Soon, his head and his hands began to hurt from all the pulling and scratching,” said Jango.
“Oh, how awful! What happened next?” asked Timi, feeling sorry for the boy. “His head and hands became swollen,” continued Jango. “One day, his mom brought him to my shop. As soon as they got here, he hopped on the chair to have his haircut. He sat still so that I could give him the best haircut ever.”“Really?” asked Timi. “Oh, yes!” said Jango. “And when I had finished cutting the boy’s hair – just as I have done yours now – the boy gave me a very big hug.” Timi looked at his head.
His haircut was finished! He had been enjoying the story so much that he hadn’t noticed Jango cutting his hair. He jumped out of the chair and gave Jango a big hug. And do you know what? Timi never cried again at the barbershop because Jango had a new story to tell him at every visit! And Timi’s mom was very happy because Jango’s stories meant an end to her weekly haircut worries.
Download the English PDF here.
To read the story in another language, download a PDF below:
Download the Xitsonga PDF here
Download the isiXhosa PDF here
Download the Setswana PDF here
Download the Afrikaans PDF here
UTimi kanye nomgundi wezinwele (isiZulu)
Translated by Dumisani Sibiya
UTimi nonina babehlala eDolobheni iMozala. Kwakukhona okuthile okwakungajwayelekile ngoTimi – izinwele zakhe! Zazikhula ngokushesha okukhulu. Zazikhula kakhulu ngangokuthi njalo ngoMgqibelo, umama kaTimi wayemthatha amuse kumgundi wezinwele ukuze agunde izinwele zakhe.
Kanti kwakukhona into eyodwa uTimi ayengayithandi ngempela, lokho kwakungukugundwa izinwele zakhe! Isikhathi sokugunda izinwele kwakuyisikhathi sokukhathazeka kuMama ngoba uTimi wayevele akhale.
“Angifuni mina ukugundwa izinwele zami!” wayehlale esho njalo.
UMama wayemsingatha ngaphambi kokuthi bahambe baye endaweni yomgundi wezinwele, kodwa kwakuthi nje bangafika, uTimi avele aqhumuke akhale izinyembezi. Emva kwalokho uMama usezokwenza zonke izinto ukuzama ukwenza ukuthi uTimi ahlale athule ngesikhathi egundwa izinwele zakhe.
Ngesinye isikhathi wayemnika amabhisikidi. UTimi wayezifela ngamabhisikidi, kodwa wayewagwinya bese eqala phansi ngokukhala. Ngesinye isikhathi uMama wayevele adanse. Wayedansa aye ngakwesokunxele. Adanse aye ngakwesokudla. Wayenyukunya umzimba wakhe, kodwa uTimi wayevele akhale angayeki.
Ngesikhathi nje uJango, umgundi wezinwele, elungela ukugunda izinwele zikaTimi, uTimi yena wayelungela ukukhala nakakhulu! Okokuqala, wayehubula amafinyela, emva kwalokho akhalele phansi, bese emva kwalokho aqhumuke asikhihle kuzwakale, “Hihihi, hihihi, hihihi!”
“Wukugunda nje kuphela, Timi. Akubuhlungu,” kusho uJango, ezama ukuthulisa uTimi, kodwa lokho kwakumenza uTimi ukuthi akhale kakhudlwana. Ngesinye isikhathi uJango wayecula ukuze aduduze uTimi, kodwa uTimi aqhubeke nokukhala.
Ngolunye usuku, uTimi wakhala kakhulu ngendlela yokuthi ababedlula ngendlela baze balunguza endlini yokugundela ukuze babone ukuthi yini lena eyayingenza umfana ukuthi akhale kakhulu kangaka!
“Awu, nkosi yami! Wumfana omncane nje ogundwa izinwele,” kusho bona. UTimi wayengenandaba ukuthi abantu babeza bezomgqolozela. Wakhala, wakhala uJango waze waziqeda izinwele zakhe.
Ngolunye usuku, waklabalasa ngendlela yokuthi uGogo Binite weza eseqhuga nobhoko lwakhe. Wayehlala kwamakhelwane eduze kwendlu yokugundela, kodwa wayevuswe esihlwathini sakhe santambama wubuqanduqandu bokukhala kukaTimi.
“Hawu, Nkosi yami!” kusho uGogo Binite. “Bengicabanga ukuthi kukhona okubi okwenzekayo!” Emva kwalokho wayeseqhuga ebuyela emuva endlini yakhe eyothathela uTimi iqashana lenhlanzi ethosiwe ayenzile.
“Ngikholwa ukuthi lokhu kuzomenza ayeke ukukhala,” kucabanga yena. Kodwa ngesikhathi enikeza uTimi inhlanzi, wayifaka emlonyeni, wahlafuna qede wagwinya … emva kwalokho waqhubeka nokukhala!
Ngemuva kokuthi uTimi esehambile nonina ngalolo suku, uJango wahlala phansi nenkomishi yetiye wayesecabanga, ecabanga. Ngempela, kwakufanele kube nendlela yokuyekisa uTimi ukukhala ngesikhathi egundwa izinwele zakhe! Futhi kungalesi sikhathi lapho uJango afikelwa khona yicebo elihle! “Nazo-ke! Sengiyixazululile,” ememeza ngokuthokoza. Ngokuvakasha kukaTimi okulandelayo, wathi lapho uJango esesikhipha isikelo sakhe, waqala ukuxoxela uTimi indaba.
“Kwakukhona umfana omncane owayengafuni ukugunda izinwele zakhe, ngakho wazidedela ukuthi zikhule, zikhule,” kwasho uJango. “Zakhula ikhanda lakhe laze lagcwala izintambo ezimafindofindo ezinwele. Ngokushesha izintambo ezimafindofindo zaphothana ndawonye.”
“Yini okulandelayo okwenzeka?” kubuza uTimi, owayesethule engasakhali. Izimpukane nezinye izinambuzane zanquma ukuthi zizakhele amakhaya azo ezinweleni zakhe,” kuqhubeka uJango. “Pho, kwenzekani kuye?” kubuza uTimi, ebukeka ekhathazekile.
“Umfana omncane waqala ukudonsa izinwele zakhe nokuzenwaya ngoba izinambuzane ezazihamba zizungeza ekhanda lakhe zazilenza lilume kakhulu. Wayedonsa abuye enwaye, adonse abuye enwaye usuku lonke. Ngokushesha, ikhanda lakhe kanye nezandla zakhe kwaqala ukuba buhlungu ngenxa yokudonsa nokwenwaya,” kusho uJango.
“Hawu, kuyesabisa! Kwenzekani emva kwalokho?” kubuza uTimi, edabukela umfana. “Ikhanda lakhe nezandla kwavuvukala,” kuqhuba uJango. “Langa limbe, unina wamletha esitolo sami. Banele bafika nje lapha, wagxuma wahlala esihlalweni ukuze agundwe izinwele zakhe. Wahlala wathula du ukuze ngimgunde kahle kakhulu.”
“Ngempela?” kubuza uTimi. “Ehhene!” kwasho uJango. “Lapho sengiqedile ukugunda izinwele zomfana – njengoba nje sengiziqedile ezakho – umfana wangiwola kakhulu.” UTimi wabuka ikhanda lakhe. Isitayela asigundile sase siphelile!
Wayekade ethokozele indaba kakhulu ngendlela yokuthi akazange aqaphele nokuthi uJango wayemgunda izinwele zakhe. Wagxuma ehla esihlalweni wabamba uJango wamwola kakhulu. Uyazi-ke ukuthini?
UTimi akaphindanga wakhala endlini yokugundela ngoba uJango wayenendaba entsha amxoxela yona kulokho nalokho kuvakasha! Nomama kaTimi wayejabule kakhulu ngoba izindaba zikaJango zazisho ukuphela kokukhathazeka kwamasonto onke ngokugundwa kwezinwele.
Download the isiZulu PDF here
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