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A boy singing in front of a woman.

Sakimas Lied Sakima's song

Written by Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by Peris Wachuka

Translated by Anna Westpfahl

Read by Jula Eberth

Language German

Level Level 3

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A man, a woman, a boy and a girl standing outside a hut and some trees.

Sakima lebte zusammen mit seinen Eltern und seiner vier Jahre alten Schwester. Sie lebten auf dem Land eines reichen Mannes. Ihre grasbedeckte Hütte stand an einer Baumreihe.

Sakima lived with his parents and his four year old sister. They lived on a rich man’s land. Their grass-thatched hut was at the end of a row of trees.


A boy thinking about when he was ill in bed.

Als Sakima drei Jahre alt war, wurde er krank und erblindete. Sakima war ein talentierter Junge.

When Sakima was three years old, he fell sick and lost his sight. Sakima was a talented boy.


A boy talking to three women.

Sakima tat viele Dinge, die andere sechsjährige Jungen nicht taten. Zum Beispiel konnte er mit den älteren Dorfbewohnern zusammensitzen und wichtige Themen besprechen.

Sakima did many things that other six year old boys did not do. For example, he could sit with older members of the village and discuss important matters.


A boy and girl waving to a man and woman leaving.

Sakimas Eltern arbeiteten im Haus des reichen Manns. Sie gingen früh am Morgen zur Arbeit und kamen spät am Abend zurück. Sakima blieb bei seiner Schwester.

The parents of Sakima worked at the rich man’s house. They left home early in the morning and returned late in the evening. Sakima was left with his little sister.


A boy singing to a woman.

Sakima liebte es, Lieder zu singen. Eines Tages fragte seine Mutter ihn: „Wo lernst du diese Lieder, Sakima?“

Sakima loved to sing songs. One day his mother asked him, “Where do you learn these songs from, Sakima?”


A boy talking with a woman.

Sakima antwortete: „Sie kommen mir einfach, Mutter. Ich höre sie in meinem Kopf und dann singe ich los.“

Sakima answered, “They just come, mother. I hear them in my head and then I sing.”


A boy singing to a girl smiling.

Sakima sang gern für seine kleine Schwester, besonders, wenn sie Hunger hatte. Seine Schwester hörte ihm beim Singen seines Lieblingsliedes zu. Sie wiegte im Takt zu der beruhigenden Melodie.

Sakima liked to sing for his little sister, especially, if she felt hungry. His sister would listen to him singing his favourite song. She would sway to the soothing tune.


A boy sitting and a girl standing next to him.

„Kannst du es wieder und wieder singen, Sakima?“, bat ihn seine Schwester. Sakima stimmte zu und sang immer wieder.

“Can you sing it again and again, Sakima,” his sister would beg him. Sakima would accept and sing it over and over again.


A sad-looking man and woman sitting with their heads in their hands and a boy and girl next them.

Eines Abends als seine Eltern nach Hause kamen, waren sie sehr still. Sakima wusste, dass etwas nicht in Ordnung war.

One evening when his parents returned home, they were very quiet. Sakima knew that there was something wrong.


A boy talking to a man and woman and a girl standing next to them.

„Was ist los, Mutter, Vater?“, fragte Sakima. Sakima erfuhr, dass der Sohn des reichen Mannes vermisst wurde. Der Mann war sehr traurig und einsam.

“What is wrong, mother, father?” Sakima asked. Sakima learned that the rich man’s son was missing. The man was very sad and lonely.


A boy talking to a woman with her arms crossed and a man.

„Ich kann für ihn singen. Vielleicht stimmt ihn das wieder glücklich“, erzählte Sakima seinen Eltern. Aber seine Eltern lehnten ab: „Er ist sehr reich. Du bist nur ein blinder Junge. Glaubst du ein Lied hilft ihm?“

“I can sing for him. He might be happy again,” Sakima told his parents. But his parents dismissed him. “He is very rich. You are only a blind boy. Do you think your song will help him?”


A girl with her hand on her tummy talking to a man, a woman and a boy.

Trotzdem gab Sakima nicht auf. Seine kleine Schwester unterstützte ihn. Sie meinte: „Sakimas Lieder trösten mich, wenn ich Hunger habe. Sie werden auch den reichen Mann trösten.“

However, Sakima did not give up. His little sister supported him. She said, “Sakima’s songs soothe me when I am hungry. They will soothe the rich man too.”


A girl leading a blind boy with a stick through a forest.

Am nächsten Tag bat Sakima seine kleine Schwester ihn zum Haus des reichen Mannes zu bringen.

The following day, Sakima asked his little sister to lead him to the rich man’s house.


A boy standing outside a building singing to a man looking out of the window, and a girl standing next to him.

Er stand unter einem der großen Fenster und begann sein Lieblingslied zu singen. Langsam wurde das Gesicht des reichen Mannes am großen Fenster sichtbar.

He stood below one big window and began to sing his favourite song. Slowly, the head of the rich man began to show through the big window.


A boy singing outside a building singing to a man looking out of the window, and a girl and some workers standing next to him.

Die Arbeiter unterbrachen ihre Arbeit. Sie hörten Sakimas wunderschönem Lied zu. Aber ein Mann meinte: „Niemand hat es geschafft, den Chef zu trösten. Glaubt dieser blinde Junge, dass er ihn trösten kann?“

The workers stopped what they were doing. They listened to Sakima’s beautiful song. But one man said, “Nobody has been able to console the boss. Does this blind boy think he will console him?”


A man standing outside a building calling a boy and girl walking away.

Sakima sang das Lied zu Ende und wollte sich auf den Heimweg machen. Aber der reiche Mann eilte aus dem Haus und sagte: „Bitte, sing noch einmal.“

Sakima finished singing his song and turned to leave. But the rich man rushed out and said, “Please sing again.”


Two men carrying a boy on a stretcher towards a man standing next to a boy and girl.

In dem Moment kamen zwei Männer und brachten jemanden auf einer Liege. Sie hatten den Sohn des reichen Mannes verprügelt am Straßenrand gefunden.

At that very moment, two men came carrying someone on a stretcher. They had found the rich man’s son beaten up and left on the side of the road.


A man standing between two boys in hospital beds and a girl standing in front of him.

Der reiche Mann war so glücklich, seinen Sohn wiederzusehen. Er belohnte Sakima für seinen Trost. Er brachte seinen Sohn und Sakima ins Krankenhaus, damit Sakima seine Sehkraft wieder bekam.

The rich man was so happy to see his son again. He rewarded Sakima for consoling him. He took his son and Sakima to hospital so Sakima could regain his sight.


Written by: Ursula Nafula
Illustrated by: Peris Wachuka
Translated by: Anna Westpfahl
Read by: Jula Eberth
Language: German
Level: Level 3
Source: Sakima's song from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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