Ele, the Conceited Lizard: Ewe Stories from Ghana

by Nico Kofi Adiku

Conceited Lizard, ELE, cleverly tricks Hippo and rides on his back to be laughed at. But the notoriety backfires as the rest of the animals vow to punish him… Fugitive Lizard acquires magic from Chameleon only to bring his thugs to disable Chameleon once the protection becomes effective. Revengeful Chameleon comically maneuvers the pussycats to the assembly of the lizards; but ALEGELI narrowly escapes… Then Lion sends Cat to kill Lizard, but Cat fails. To escape Lion's wrath, Cat lives with humans ever since… Now Lizard uses Praying Mantis a habitual borrower to harass Chameleon until Chameleon leaves home. But with all his conceit, Lizard lives in defeat and learns the hard lesson that Creatures that love to play pranks must choose their laughing stocks with care… By explaining the cultural ramifications of the stories and the origin of the name EWE, this book should interest the student of folklore.

76 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2008