The Beekeeper and the Shared Honey of the Savanna Council

Musa was a kind beekeeper who lived in Koro, a warm orchard settlement on the wide West African savanna. The savanna was a grassy land with sweet shea trees and leafy mango trees. Musa had many hollow log hives in the orchards. He cared for the tiny bees, and the bees made the sweetest golden honey in the valley.

During dry-season planning, the rains stopped, and the grass turned brown. The villagers stored grain in the communal granaries, which were tall mud huts built to keep food safe. The animals of the wild also needed to plan.

A loud drum gathering was called under the big baobab tree. The beat of the drums echoed across the flat plains to call the villagers and the savanna animal council together. The animal council was led by King Leopard, who was very proud of his golden spots. Next to him sat Baboon, who was vain and loud, and Hyena, who was greedy and shortsighted.

Before the dry season, Musa promised to share the first honey harvest equally among all creatures, both big and little, to help them find food.

At the drum gathering, the animals argued about the sweet honey.

“Musa!” King Leopard roared, puffing out his chest. “We are the great animal council. We are strong and guard the orchards from danger. The tiny insects and little birds do nothing. You must give all the golden honey to us. It is a waste to give sweet food to weak creatures!”

Baboon barked, “Look at my big arms! I should get the largest share!”

Hyena laughed greedily, “And I want the rest!”

The big animals stamped their feet and shouted. They put great pressure on Musa to break his promise and give the honey only to the strong.

Musa stood quietly before the loud council. He looked at the proud animals, then at the tiny birds and little mice hiding in the grass. He knew he had to stand up for what was right.

“A promise is a promise,” Musa said in a calm, clear voice. “I promised that every creature would get a fair share of the honey.”

“The crowd wants us to have it all!” King Leopard growled. “Listen to them! If you do not give us the honey, we will not guard your orchards anymore.”

Musa smiled gently to show them their folly.

“Let us think about this,” Musa said. “The sweet honey comes from the white flowers of the shea tree. To make the honey, the flowers must be visited. King Leopard, can you fly into the tiny blossoms to help them grow?”

King Leopard blinked his big yellow eyes. “Of course not. I am too heavy.”

“Baboon,” Musa asked, “can you dance from twig to twig without breaking the soft flowers?”

Baboon looked at his large hands. “No, I would crush them.”

“Then who helps the orchards grow?” Musa asked.

A tiny bee buzzed near King Leopard’s nose. A little yellow bird chirped from a branch.

“The little ones do that work,” Musa explained. “Without the tiny bees and birds, the trees would have no fruit, and I would have no honey. If we do not give them their fair share, they will leave. Then there will be no honey for anyone next year.”

The animals in the council looked at each other. They saw their own shortsightedness. They realized that every creature, no matter how little, helped the orchard.

King Leopard bowed his head. “You speak the truth, Beekeeper. It is only fair that everyone gets a share.”

Musa smiled and opened his gourd jars. He gave a fair share of sweet honey to every animal, from the proud leopard to the tiny bush mouse.

Moral: True fairness means recognizing that every member of the community has value, no matter how quiet or little they may be.