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Tom mulekisi wa makonde Tom the banana seller Tom le vendeur de bananes

Written by Humphreys Odunga

Illustrated by Zablon Alex Nguku

Translated by Christabel Songiso and Akombelwa Muyangana

Language SiLozi

Level Level 2

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Tom ushimbanga mukeke wa makonde abuzwize.

Tom carries a tray of ripe bananas.

Tom transporte un plateau de bananes mûres.


Tom uyanga kwa musika kuyolekisa makonde.

Tom goes to the market to sell bananas.

Tom va au marché pour vendre des bananes.


Batu kwa lusika baleka miselo.

People at the market are buying fruit.

Les gens au marché achètent des fruits.


Kono akuna yaleka makonde ya Tom. Balata kuleka makonda kwa basali.

But no one is buying Tom’s bananas. They prefer to buy fruit from women.

Mais personne n’achète les bananes de Tom. Ils préfèrent acheter leurs fruits des femmes.


“Mwasibaka saluna, ki basali feela baba lekisanga miselo.” batu babulela. “Ki muuna ya cwani yo?” batu ba buza.

“In our community, only women sell fruit,” people say. “What kind of a man is this?” people ask.

« Dans notre communauté, seulement les femmes vendent des fruits, » disent les gens. « Quelle sorte d’homme est celui-ci ? » demandent les gens.


Kono Tom azwafi. Wa huweleza, “amuleke makonde yaka! amuleke makonde yaka yabuzwize mi yanani munati!”

But Tom does not give up. He calls, “Buy my bananas! Buy my sweet ripe bananas!”

Mais Tom ne démissionne pas. Il crie, « Achetez mes bananes ! Achetez mes bananes mûres et sucrées ! »


Musali yomumu ashimba sikoto sama konde mwa mukeke. Atalimisisa bakonde ka bukwala.

One woman picks up a bunch of bananas from the tray. She looks at the bananas carefully.

Une femme choisit un régime de bananes du plateau. Elle inspecte les bananes soigneusement.


Musali yo saleka makonde.

The woman buys the bananas.

La femme achète les bananes.


Bun’gata bwa batu bataha fa kantemba. Baleka makonde ya Tom ni kuyacha.

More people come to the stall. They buy Tom’s bananas and eat them.

D’autres personnes viennent au stand. Elles achètent les bananes de Tom et les mangent.


Anafa mukeke kele ufela. Tom wabala mali ya fumani.

Soon, the tray is empty. Tom counts the money he earned.

Bientôt, le plateau est vide. Tom compte l’argent qu’il a gagné.


Cwale Tom waleka mulola, swikili, mi sinkwa. Lika ze alibeya mwa mukeke.

Then Tom buys soap, sugar, and bread. He puts the things in his tray.

Ensuite, Tom achète du savon, du sucre et du pain. Il met les choses sur son plateau.


Tom watengenya mukeke wahae fa toho anze aya kwandu.

Tom balances the tray on his head and goes home.

Tom balance le plateau sur sa tête et rentre chez lui.


Written by: Humphreys Odunga
Illustrated by: Zablon Alex Nguku
Translated by: Christabel Songiso and Akombelwa Muyangana
Language: SiLozi
Level: Level 2
Source: Tom the banana seller from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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