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South Africa’s Traveling Musicians

The Associaton for the education and care of young children dedicate this book to all the

children, parents and teachers of South Africa.

This book was created at the International Creativity Conferance in South Africa 2014

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South Africas Traveling Musicians

Once there was a teacher who had an Ant Lion in her class for 100 years.

However now the Ant Lion was old and too clever for this school. The teacher began to think of moving him to a new class, or even a new school!

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So the Ant Lion, who saw that some magic was in the wind, took himself scaly off, walking backwards he began his journey towards the misterious

rhythmic African bush.

“Now, now, now,” he said, “I may become a Musician.”

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Atfer he had traveled backwards for 456 days, he spied a Leopard Tor-toise on the side of the road painting a crazy alien, because he was hun-gry.

“What makes you paint such a marvelous alien my friend?” asked the Ant Lion.

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“Alas,” said the Leopard Tortoise,” my teacher was going to TAP me on my shell, for I am full of silly nonsence and I sing like a GROW PRO. So I float away. But how can I earn a living?”

“I”, said the Ant Lion,” am going to the funkadelicAfrican bush to be a Marimba Musician. Why not go with me and see if you can do the same?”The Leopard Tortouise sang Funka-deeedle-doodle Doooo, and was willing, so they hopped, skipped and jogged on together.

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They had not gone far before they saw a Buffalo Weaver Bird sitting in the middle of the road, and making a sad, sloppy face.

“Jeepers, my good lady,” said the Ant Lion. “What’s the matter with you? You look like an apple with no feathers!”

“Ah me, oh maaiija jaaaaai,” said the Buffalo Weaver Bird, “ How can I be happy when my life is in danger?I am sooooooooo booooo boe baaaa bahhh and would rather sit by the nija turtle cave than sit in school, my teacher tried to teach me spelling!”

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“Oh,” said the Ant Lion, “by all means go with us to the Boo Booo Ba Daaaa Doe African Bush. You are a good moon dancer and may make your fortune as a Musician.”

This pleased the Buffalo Weawer Bird very much and she joined the party.

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Soon afterwards, as they passed a strange hut, they saw a Rhino Beetle and a Elephant Shrew Mouse locked in a cage. They were screaming out Woooooo-aaaa-tick-a toe with all their might and main.

“Bravo,” exclaimed the Ant Lion. “Upon my word, you make a loud Bingzalinging noise, “but goodnes gracious skipioto-tito what is it all about?”

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‘Why,” said the Elephant Shrew Mouse, “I was just singing, we should have a picnic party today. “But no one wants to let us out of this cage,” said the Rhino Beetle. “The teacher threatens to eat all our picnic food tomorrow,” said the Elephant Shrew Mouse.

“Then come with us, you two silly, billy, dilly animals in a cage. It will be better than having a picnic with no food. Who knows, we might have a concert. So hop, skip and jump along!”“With all my heart”, said the Elaphant Shrew Mouse and the Rhino Beetle danced, and bounced and then landed on one leg screaming chika chika lala wa wa.

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So all five went grr przzzzzon together singing ha hooo haaaa........in the sunset.

However, they could not reach the African Bush the second day, so when night came again, they went into little holes at the edge of the wa-terhole to sleep.

The Ant Lion and the Leopard Tortoise laid themselves down under a great thorn tree to sleep.

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The Buffalo Weaver Bird jumped on one leg up into the branches of the thorn tree.

As to the Elephant Shrew Mouse, thinking that the bigger the thorns, the safer he should be, he shouted agagadooogadooo and made a double summersault to the very top of the tree.

Then, as his usual custom before going to sleep, he looked out in every direction to see the all was well.

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“Comerades,” the Elephant Shrew Mouse called down to the others, “there must be a village nearby for I see a fire.”

“In that case”, said the Ant Lion, “we had better change our thorn tree. This waterhole is not the best we can have.”

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The Ant Lion, being the peeping-tomtom of the group, went up to the village and peeped through a window.

“Well, Comrade,” said the Rhino Beetle, “What do you see? Do you see a earthworm with an umbrella ,or a purple spotted owl?”

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“What do I see?” replied the Elephant Shrew Mouse.“Why, I see animals around tables full of food and ballooons filled with honey and ice cream comes with jelly and, and, well all kinds of things, and robbers sitting around it, singing Boom Shaka ppft ppft with smilling and hungry faces.”

“That would not be a noble or honest place for us to stay,’ said the Rhino Beetle.“Yes,”said the Ant Lion, “if we could only get inside the hut.”

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So they made a plan together while standing tippy toes jumping and thinking together as to how they should get the bold robbers out; and, at last, they decided upon a plan, a cunning plan. And the Elephant Shrew Mouse said baaaa and blarke-a-doe said the Buffalo Weaver, and moeeee said Leopard Tortoise and the other two danced the samba with their eyes closed while eating popcorn.

The Ant Lion stood up on his one leg, pointing down his second toe to see through to climb on the windowsill.

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The Lepoard Tortoise got upon his back; the Buffalo Weaver scrambled up to the Ant Lion’s shoulders: and the Elephant Shrew Mouse flew up and sat upon the Buffalo Weaver Bird’s head.Then they began their African music.The Ant Lion sang twinkle twinkle lillte star; the Leopard Tortois sang da da da daaa daaa da ; the Buffalo weaver said you are off the beat my friend; and the Rhino beetle sang with the Elephant Shrew Mouse, but no one could hear them.

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Then they all broke through the window at once, and came tumbling down into the hut, with a hideous clatter!

The robbers, who had been much frightened at the very noisy concert, now had no doubt that frightful small five association hooligans were trying to punish them with traditional medicine. They shakeboarded away as fast as the could.

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The hut was clear, the marvelous travellers sat down and ate up all the glop glop glop and food left by the robbers.

As soon as they had tummy pains of all the eating, the Buffalo Weaver put out the fire, and they all settled down for a good night’s rest.

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About two minutes and a half after midnight, the robbers saw from the waterhole that the fire were out and all seemed quiet. They began to think that perhaps they had been in to great a hurry to run away.

One robber, who had a operation last year, returned to see what was the matter. He tip-toed into the hut.

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Seeing the piercing eyes of the Ant Lion, he mistook them for a shining light and held a match to them to light it.

The Ant Lion did not like the match so close to his eyes, and he sprang with a biannnggggg up to spit in the robbers ear. This frightened the robber so much that he screamed byabahab Ahwww Haaa haaa Baaahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

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He ran towards the door, but there the Lepoard tortoise jumped up and bit him on the right toe.

And as he was running with all his might across the African plane the Elephant Shrew Mouse kicked him.

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The Rhino beetle and the Buffalo weaver shouted, al kipitto tito and made the two robbers run as fast as a goat on a skate board eating in the middle of the road while dancing.

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The robber told his friend how some horrid sangoma had used traditional medicine to get into the house and spit in his ear and scratched him with his long bony fingers.

He said there was dwarf monkey behind the door and it bit his right toe; a huge black monster was in the back of the hut and it struck him with a GREEN BEAN; and then he heard a funny long scream sounding like ooooojjjjaaaaanweeaaakkkaaaa !!!!from the rooftop.

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After that, the robbers never dared to retun to the hut.

But the Musicians were so very pleased to live in their new hut that they made it their new school and live there, I dare say, to this day!

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The End

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