Back to stories list
Tom ogulitsa nthoci
Tom the banana seller
Tom le vendeur de bananes
Humphreys Odunga
Zablon Alex Nguku
David Sani Mwanza
Christine Mwanza
The audio for this story is currently not available.
Tom amanyamula nswanda ya nthoci zakupsya.
Tom carries a tray of ripe bananas.
Tom transporte un plateau de bananes mûres.
Tom amapita ku msika kukagulisa nthoci.
Tom goes to the market to sell bananas.
Tom va au marché pour vendre des bananes.
Anthu pa msika agula ziphatso.
People at the market are buying fruit.
Les gens au marché achètent des fruits.
Koma palibe amene agula nthoci za Tom. Asankha kugula zipatso za azimai.
But no one is buying
Tom’s bananas.
They prefer to buy fruit from women.
Mais personne n’achète les bananes de Tom. Ils préfèrent acheter leurs fruits des femmes.
“M’mudzi mwathu, azimai okha ndio amene agulitsa nthoci,” anthu amatelo. “Kodi uyu ndi mwamuna wotani?” Anthu afunsa.
“In our community, only women sell fruit,” people say. “What kind of a man is this?” people ask.
« Dans notre communauté, seulement les femmes vendent des fruits, » disent les gens. « Quelle sorte d’homme est celui-ci ? » demandent les gens.
Koma Tom saleka. Apunda, “Gulani nthoci zanga! Gulani nthoci zanga zakupsya komanso zonzuna!”
But Tom does not give up.
He calls, “Buy my bananas!
Buy my sweet ripe bananas!”
Mais Tom ne démissionne pas. Il crie, « Achetez mes bananes ! Achetez mes bananes mûres et sucrées ! »
Mkazi umozi atengapo nthochi zogula. Ayanganitsitsa nthoci mwacidwi.
One woman picks up a bunch of bananas from the tray.
She looks at the bananas carefully.
Une femme choisit un régime de bananes du plateau. Elle inspecte les bananes soigneusement.
Mzimai agula nthoci.
The woman buys the bananas.
La femme achète les bananes.
Anthu ambili abwela kusitolo. Agula nthoci za Tom ndi kuzidya.
More people come to the stall.
They buy Tom’s bananas and eat them.
D’autres personnes viennent au stand. Elles achètent les bananes de Tom et les mangent.
Posacedwa, zonse zatha. Tom awelengela ndalama zomwe wapanga.
Soon, the tray is empty.
Tom counts the money he earned.
Bientôt, le plateau est vide. Tom compte l’argent qu’il a gagné.
Pambuyo pake, Tom agula sopo, shuga, ndi mkhate. Aika zinthu mu nswanda yake.
Then Tom buys soap, sugar, and bread.
He puts the things in his tray.
Ensuite, Tom achète du savon, du sucre et du pain. Il met les choses sur son plateau.
Tom waika nswanda yake pa mutu ndipo apita ku nyumba.
Tom balances the tray on his head and goes home.
Tom balance le plateau sur sa tête et rentre chez lui.
Written by: Humphreys Odunga
Illustrated by: Zablon Alex Nguku
Translated by: David Sani Mwanza
Read by: Christine Mwanza