ǃHoan o nǂamma The whistling man
Magda Swartz
Petrus Amuthenu
Cwi Debe, Kileni A. Fernando
Cwi Debe, Gǂkao J. B. Kxao, Kaqece Khallie N!ani, Kileni A. Fernando, Sylvia Fernandu, Tsemkxao Cwi
Ju|’hoansi
Level 4
Ka o Saterda te Rico u ǀxoa ha taqe ko dorpa. Ha are gǃa’ama dorpa. Dorpa kaice nǀang te kxae tcia o ka ǃaohǃaoh sih sa ju ku gǃu’un.
It’s Saturday and Rico is going to town with his mother. He likes going to town. Town is exciting! There are lots of things to see.
Rico ǁae ǃkau ha taqe gǃau. Ju ku haua khoe.
Rico holds his mother’s hand very tightly. Streams of people are passing by.
Khoe jan sin sa o nǂaiǁ’ama tciasi sa ǀ’hom ǁ’a ka khoeasi.
There are stalls selling beautiful handmade crafts.
ǂOahmh du ǀxoa hi ǀ’aesi ko ǃahin, nǁobesa kota guquru kuru ǀxoa hi ǀaesi ko tarah kota gǀxaan sa kxae ǂ’usi kota gǀo’o.
There are small giraffes carved out of wood, chameleons and lizards made out of wire and coloured beads, and jewellery made from ostrich egg shell.
Te ha ǂaeǂae ka. Ju nǀui ku nǂaam ge’e tzima. Ha nǃom tsau te ǂaeǂae koa ka ǁama koere ka ǁama?
Then he hears it! Someone is whistling the sweet melody of ‘Amazing Grace.’ He stops to listen. Where is it coming from?
“Mi cinniha ǀoa tsa’a jua ku ko nǂaam kxui,” tca ko nǀang kxui.
“I’ve never heard anyone whistle so beautifully before,” he thinks to himself.
Ha nǃang ǃhara ju ko ǂha. Te ho jua ha hin koh nǂaam, ju ǀ’ua too ma ko mari ǃaqsih too ma nǃunga ha gǀa’a nǃanga. Xabe ju nǀui ǀoa du ttca jan.
He makes his way through the people. Then he sees the man who is whistling. People are putting coins into a small tin in front of him. But … something is wrong …
ǃHoan nǂaam ma koara ǀxoa ju ko ǁkoa. Ha koara ǀxoa mari ko ǁkoa. Ha koara ǀxoa tci nǀui waqnke ko ǁkoa. Ha sin kxoa ko mari ǃaq sih ko toh nǃang sih ka ǀ’ua ha ko ha ǀhain nǃang.
The whistling man is not looking at the people. He is not looking at the money. He is not looking at anything. He’s searching for the coins in the tin and putting them into his pocket.
Rico gǃu’un ǃhoan nǂaam ma te ǂ’ang. “Ha m Khoetca joa” khama Rico cinnaha ǀoa ǁkae ǀxoa ju jao. Ha koaq. Ha gu tsxabi ha taqe hoqorokhoe te ǂ’auce tsitsa’a. “Aia, ǃhoan toa re jus jao?”
Rico stares at the whistling man and thinks, “Maybe he’s blind.” Rico has never seen a blind person before. He feels scared. He grabs his mother’s dress and asks softly, “Mommy, is that man blind?”
Ha gu ha gǃau. “Eh,” ha mani “Eh, ha jao. Se, ha kxae ǃahina ǃa’u ko ha gǃaunǃang. Ju sa jao ǁae ǃahin sa ǃau. Ha nǂaiǁkoa ka ko domǃangsi ǃ’ang tsa’a kota ǃansi nǂa’am tsa’a.”
She takes his hand. “Yes,” she answers, “yes, he’s blind. Look, he has a white stick. Many blind people carry a white stick. He uses this stick to feel for holes and other obstacles.”
“Te ha re naun tsia dorpa? Te hare naun ǃhara ju?” Rico tsitsa’a.
“But how did he come to town? How did he find his way through all the people?” Rico asks.
Ha taqe ko ǃoa ha, “Ha khoetca kxae ju nǀuia hui ha ka ha du tcisi.” E ǃ’aua ǁ’a jua ko ǃ’uinkxao.
His mother tells him, “Maybe he has someone who helps him to find his way around. We call that person a guide.”
Siǃa nǂhao ua jom mh kxaǀho. Traffik da’asi mani nǃu’ubuǀauhn te utosi nǃomtuih te nǂhao kxaosi coa te ǃxai nǃama.
They walk to the zoopark. The traffic lights change to green, the cars stop and the pedestrians cross the street.
“Se da’a nǃu’ubuǀauhn. Ka hi ǂoq’i okaa mǃa jan te gea koqe te xoana ǃxai dao. Nǃore gesin ǃahin kxui nǂaiǃ’han.” Rico ǁ’a ha taqe koe nǁae. “Ka jusa jao tsa’a pip okaa sih, ǃ’han tca dao te koqe te ha ǂ’au ǃxai dao.”
“Look at the green light. When it is green we can see it is safe to cross the road. In some countries there is also a beeping sound,” Rico’s mother says. “When blind people hear the beeping, they know it is safe to cross the road.”
Siǃa gǃhoa ǁ’aisi ǀhoa o ǃhamh kxaǀho ga te se ju tca sih o nǂhao cua. “Ju gesin jao te kxae gǂhuin sa ǃ’uin sih,” Ha taqe ko nǁae. “Gǂhuin sa toa nǃaroh hi ǀ’aesi ǁ’a hi ǀ’uin ju sa jao khoe hi kxaosi. Xabe hi kaice ǂani. ǃ’Uin gǂhuin sa ǀkoromh gea Namibia.”
They sit on the green grass of the zoopark and watch the people walking by. “Some blind people have a guide dog,” his mother says. “These dogs are trained to guide their owner, but they are very expensive. There are very few guide dogs in Namibia.”
“Jua jao ǀoa se TV,” Rico ko nǁae. “Ha tsa’a TV kota radion,” Rico ǁ’a ha taqe ǃoa ha. “Jusa jao ǂaeǂae tahn jusa se.”
“The blind man can’t watch TV,” Rico says. “He can hear the TV and radio,” Rico’s mother tells him. “Blind people can often hear things much better than people who can see.”
“Xabe siǃa ǀoa nǁaq’ara ǂxaunusi kota kuantisi,” Rico ko nǁae. “ǂxaunu gesin ǀore hi ǀ’aesi ko jao tciooa. ǁ’Ae ǂ’au ka ka o ǀoresi okaa ka ta o ǃ’hobasi sa kuru ǁxam-a khoe ko ka ǀ’aesi he du leters, ka nǃana kode.”
“But he can’t read books or newspapers,” says Rico. “There are books written in Braille. Instead of words printed with ink, there are raised dots which make letters. It’s like a code.”
“Ha re noun nǁaq’ara ka ha ǀoa ho?” “Ha nǁaq’ara ǀxoa ho gǃausi, ka sin khoe tca toa a se leters ka nǁaqara ǁxam.”
“How can he read if he can’t see?” “He reads with his hands. He feels the raised dots with his fingers, just like you see the letters with your eyes.”
Rico are ha ǂ’angsi ka ha ǂ’ang ko ju sa jao te dua tcisi ǀo ǀam nǀui waqnke, khoe nǂamm ge’e, nǁaq’are.
Rico is amazed to think that people who are blind can do everyday things; things like walking around in town, like whistling songs, like reading.
Ha taqe ǃoa ha, “Tca kuru ǂ’asara sin o jua jao ǀoa se te a se.” “Mi se, mi se xabe nǂaam ge’e mi ǀoa du ǂoa jua jao,” Rico zoma.
His mother tells him, “The only difference between you and a blind person is that you can see and a blind person can’t see.” “I can see, but I can’t whistle as beautifully as that blind man,” Rico smiles.
Written by: Magda Swartz
Illustrated by: Petrus Amuthenu
Translated by: Cwi Debe, Kileni A. Fernando
Read by: Cwi Debe, Gǂkao J. B. Kxao, Kaqece Khallie N!ani, Kileni A. Fernando, Sylvia Fernandu, Tsemkxao Cwi
Language: Ju|’hoansi
Level: Level 4
Source: The whistling man from African Storybook
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.