An old African folktale one can associate with current developments in American politics

By Kossi Gbêdiga

Once upon a time, all the animals were friends, living in harmony in the big, dense African forest before humans peopled the earth. But that was about to change because of one wicked member of the community: the hippopotamus.

The hippopotamus, often referred to as hippo, had a reputation for cheating. He rose to wealth and fame after fooling other animals. Eventually, his ruse helped him become king. But, to get to that new level, he bullied all his rivals, making up lies about the ones he feared the most.

He falsely claimed that the giraffe’s father was involved in the assassination of an earlier king, which the giraffe vehemently denied. The hippo got into a vulgar altercation in public with the donkey, another political rival who said that the hippo’s small hands are indicative of small genitals. “They’re quite big,” replied the hippo, showing his under-sized hands. Having been humiliated in public by the hippo who revealed one of his secrets, the raccoon—another aspirant to the throne—fired back using extremely strong words.

Years after ruling the animal kingdom, the hippo was thrown out of power by the majority of the animals who elected the horse as their new leader. But the hippo refused to go away. Instead, he instigated a rebellion unheard of in the history of the animal kingdom. The mayhem that ensued had never been seen even by elders like the mountain monkeys that lived very long.

Out of fear, most of the animals that the hippo bullied to become king, including the giraffe, the donkey, and the raccoon, coerced around him to prevent the duly elected horse from seating on the throne. The initiative failed, but the hippo, revengeful and more wicked than ever, never stopped whining. His companions in evil worshipped him like God.

No animal in the big, dense forest flies higher than the eagle. From the high altitude, the bird of prey with sharp eyes sees everything that happens in the community. A good historian who keeps track of everything, the eagle was aware of all the tricks the hippo used to become famous, and, later, rise to power. One day, the eagle, who was feared even by some of the big animals because of his powerful claws, convened a group of animals to try the one-time king. The hippo was easily found guilty of all the charges.

The now-convicted hippo and his followers threatened to set the forest on fire. “No worries,” said the bison, one of the strongest, most menacing animals in the forest. Shaking his small tail from left to right, the mean-looking, ugly bison added, convincingly: “Order will prevail. Our kingdom is built on rock.”

Indeed, the threats led nowhere. The hippo was left to rot in the middle of the forest, with his companions’ hands tied by the laws of the community. Under the heat of the tropical sun, his massive body slowly turned into a sticky, smelly grease.

According to the parrot, the most talkative animal in the community who shared this tale with humans, after the emergence of humans on earth, people who go astray in life and step on the smelly grease that the hippo turned into pick up the same traits: greed, hypocrisy, selfishness, and wickedness.