Kelimabe and Kelikelimabe

This myth is about two brothers Kelimabe and Kelikelimabe born to the same father and mother. Kelimabe who was the older of the two was described as ugly while his younger brother Kelikelimabe was said to be wonderfully handsome. They both lived together hunting as brothers until Kelimabe’s wife who he had married form a different tribe made sexual passes towards Kelikelimabe. Kelikelimabe refused her sexual offer stating that he could not betray his brother and sleep his wife. Kelimabe’s wife insisted on sleeping with Kelikelimabe until when during one of her attempts, he ran away from the house. In an attempt to cover up what she had been doing, Kelimabe’s wife tore the clothes she was wearing, scattered the house to make it look like there had been a struggle between her and Kelikelimabe and the when her husband came back home she claimed that his brother had attempted to rape her.
Her husband who believed in her became so angry he emasculated his brother. He then became scared of what his brother and people might do to him and ran away from the village. When Kelikelimabe recovered from the injury, he went after his brother in a bid to reconcile. This set them both on journeys they never imagined they will find themselves in. At the end, Kelikelimabe got his manhood back, Kelimabe’s wife was killed for lieng, and the brothers reunited.
This myth and many other African myths of origin teach valuable lessons about personal conduct and the origin of Africa as a geographical land mass. It also tells us about the people who first inhibited it. In the myth, Kelikelimabe was always welcomed as he searched for his brother from one village to another. This showed that people in those days coexisted peacefully. Also the locations in this myth show that the part of Africa that they lived in was a forest region. This was evident in the fact that they were hunters and hunting is frequently characterized by forests. Also, Kelimabe got married to the daughter of a tree spirit and lived in the forest with her.
The similarity that exists between the myth and today’s society is that both try as much as possible to uphold qualities of brotherhood and unity among people. Also the myth is not a parable but it has a moral lesson about peaceful coexistence among people.
In general, I would say this myth has accomplished teaching us about the people who live in Africa and also the moral values they upheld.